OF  CALIF.  LIBRARY,  LOS  ANGELES 


TRIFandTRIXY 


BY 


JOHN    HABBERTON 

AUTHOR  OF  "  HELEN'S  BABIES." 


A  STORY  OF  A 
DREADFULLY  DE 
LIGHTFUL  LITTLE 
GIRL  AND  HER 
ADORING  AND 
TORMENTED  PAR 
ENTS,  RELATIONS, 
AND  FRIENDS  ft  ft 


Philadelphia 

HENRY    ALTEMUS 
1897 


COPYRIGHT,  1,397,  BY  HKNRY  AI.TEMVZ 


CHAPTER  I. 

A  BABE   IN   THE   HOUSE    IS   A   WELL-SPRING  OF 
PLEASURE. 

TRIXY  was  not  a  babe,  for  she  had  passed 
her  seventh  birthday  and  was  as  wise 
and  irrepressible  as  the  only  child  of  a  lov 
ing  father  and  mother  usually  becomes.  Her 
parents  and  relations  continued  to  allude  to  her 
as  "  the  baby,"  and  they  might  still  be  doing  so 
had  not  certain  of  her  deeds  checked  them,  and 
compelled  them  to  restrict  themselves  to  her 
rightful  name,  which  was  Beatrice,  and  to  her 
nickname,  which  was  Trixy. 

Trif  was  Trixy's  mother,  and  did  not  entirely 
approve  of  the  name  by  which  she  was  oftenest 
addressed,  for  "  Trif"  seemed  to  imply  some 
thing  trifling,  while  the  real  Trif  was  a  young 
matron  as  handsome  and  proud  as  Diana,  and 
as  good  and  earnest  as  the  saintly  Roman  woman 
Tryphosa,  for  whom  she  was  named.  (All  this 
must  be  true,  because  Trif's  husband,  Phil 
Highwood,  said  so  and  continues  to  say  it.) 

Whether  she  laughed  or  wept,  dressed  or 
dusted,  joked  or  prayed,  Trif  did  it  with  all  her 
might;  so  it  was  not  strange  that  her  little 
daughter  was  a  very  active  and  earnest  creature 
from  the  instant  at  which  she  first  opened  her 
(3) 


2130226 


4  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

baby  lips  to  announce  her  appearance  upon  the 
earthly  stage. 

Besides,  Trixy's  father  \vas  one  of  the  con 
scientious  and  nervous  fellows  who  are  always 
wondering  what  to  do  next,  always  anxious  to  do 
exactly  what  is  right,  always  trying  to  do  friendly 
services  to  other  people,  and  frequently  blunder 
ing  horribly  in  the  attempt ;  so  there  was  double 
reason  for  what  Trif  called  "  dear  Trixy's  pecu 
liarities"  and  other  people  alluded  to  as  "that 
child's  awful  doings." 

Trif  and  Trixy  lived  far  up  town  on  the  west 
side  of  New  York.  The  husband  of  the  one  and 
the  father  of  the  other  lived  there  too,  although 
he  is  of  minor  consequence  in  this  veracious 
narrative,  for  the  neighbors  and  tradesmen  knew 
him  best  as  "  that  little  terror's  father,"  or 
"  Mrs.  Highwood's  husband,"  and  he  was  modest 
enough  and  proud  enough  to  be  satisfied  to  be 
known  in  this  way. 

With  the  family  lived  Trif s  sister,  Tryphena 
Wardlow,  known  best  to  her  friends  as  Fenie — 
a  charming  and  exuberant  girl  who  thought  her 
sister  Trif  the  most  perfect  woman  alive,  was 
sure  that  Trixy  was  the  embodiment  of  all  the 
baby  angels  in  heaven,  and  declared  that  she 
never,  never,  never  would  think  of  marrying  until 
some  man  as  simply  perfect  as  her  brother-in-law, 
Phil  Highwood..  should  ask  her,  and  as  that 
seemed  impossible  she  had  determined,  at  the 
mature  age  of  twenty  years,  to  remain  single  for 
ever,  yet  never  become  that  dreadful  creature 
called  "  an  old  maid.'' 

Fenie  had  no  lack  of  suitors,  old  and  young, 


A  BABE  IN  THE  HOUSE.  5 

for  all  men  like  handsome  girls  who  are  also 
good,  merry  and  accomplished ;  besides  common 
report  had  it  that  Fenie  and  her  sister  drew 
between  them  five  thousand  dollars  a  year  from 
the  estate  of  their  New  England  parents.  Com 
mon  report  had  set  the  figure  about  ten  times 
too  high,  but  never  took  the  trouble  to  correct 
the  mistake,  so  Fenie  was  the  most  attractive 
young  woman  of  the  vicinity,  and  many  were 
the  times  when  a  merry  evening  which  had  been 
planned  by  Phil,  Trif,  Fenie,  and  Trixy,  was 
spoiled  by  the  appearance  of  some  male  visitor 
who  had  to  be  treated  civilly,  and  who  couldn't 
tear  himself  away  from  the  witchery  of  Feme's 
face  and  voice. 

There  was  one  young  man,  Harry  Trewman, 
whom  Fenie  seemed  rather  to  like,  and  whom 
Trif  and  Phil,  with  their  larger  knowledge  of 
human  nature,  wished  their  sister  could  like  still 
more,  for  he  was  intelligent,  modest,  and  seemed 
to  have  many  virtues  and  no  vices.  They  talked 
much  about  him  when  they  were  alone— alone 
except  for  Trixy,  who  was  always  so  competent 
to  amuse  herself  and  to  be  absorbed  by  her 
books  and  dolls  and  her  own  thoughts  that  she 
seemed  deaf  to  anything  that  was  being  said, 
for  it  generally  took  half  a  dozen  separate  and 
distinct  remarks  to  make  her  change  her  dress, 
or  wash  her  hands,  or  go  to  bed. 

The  doorbell  rang  one  evening  while  the 
family  still  lingered  at  the  supper  table,  and  the 
servant  brought  a  card  to  Fenie. 

"  Oh,  dear !  "  exclaimed  the  girl  with  a  pout. 
"  Here  comes  Harry  Trewman,  just  as  we  were 


6  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

going  to  have  a  jolly  game  of  parchesi  with  the 
baby.  I  do  think  that  callers  might  remain  at 
home  on  stormy  nights,  when  a  girl  hasn't  taken 
the  pains  to  dress  for  company.  That  young 
man  needs  a  lesson.  He  has  sisters  and  they 
ought  to  teach  him  that  ladies  don't  expect  calls 
on  stormy  nights." 

"It  won't  take  you  long  to  change  your  dress, 
dear,"  suggested  Trif. 

"No,  but " 

"  '  Be  not  unmindful  to  entertain  strangers, 
for  thereby  some  have  entertained  angels  un 
awares,'  "  quoted  Phil,  as  he  quartered  a  second 
orange  for  Trixy. 

"Angels— umph  !  "  exclaimed  Fenie.  "  Harry 
Trewman  doesn't  resemble  any  angel  of  whom 
I  ever  saw  a  picture.  He's  no  stranger  either, 
goodness  knows ;  he's  been  here  at  least  once  a 
week  for  a  long  time.  You  shouldn't  ever  quote 
Scripture,  Phil,  unless  the  application  is  entirely 
correct." 

"Very  well,  then;  'Flee  from  the  wrath  to 
come.'  Nothing  makes  Trif  so  provoked  as 
delay  in  greeting  a  visitor." 

"  Poor  little  Trixy.  Her  game  will  have  to  be 
put  off,"  murmured  Fenie  as  she  rose  from  the 
table  and  kissed  her  niece. 

"  Never  mind  me,"  said  Trixy,  from  behind  a 
kiss  and  a  mouthful  of  orange.  "  The  game  will 
keep,  but  Mr.  Trewman  won't,  if  you  don't  be 
more  careful." 

"Won't  keep?"  exclaimed  Fenie,  with  a 
frown  at  the  child  and  a  suspicious  glance  at  the 
remainder  of  the  family. 


A  BABE  IN  THE  HOUSE.  7 

"  Trixy  !  "  exclaimed  Trif  in  her  most  severe 
tone,  while  Phil  put  another  section  of  orange 
into  the  child's  mouth  and  his  hand  over  her  lips, 
while  Trif  continued : 

"  Go  along,  Fenie.  Change  your  dress  quick 
ly  ;  I'll  run  up  stairs  and  help  you." 

"  And  I,"  said  Trixy,  after  a  struggle  with  the 
orange  and  her  father's  hand,  "  I'll  entertain  Mr. 
Trewman  till  you  come  down." 

Three  adult  smiles  were  slyly  exchanged  as 
the  child  assumed  an  air  of  importance,  tumbled 
out  of  her  high-chair  and  started  toward  the 
parlor,  while  her  mother  and  aunt  slipped  up  the 
back  stairway  and  Phil  buried  his  face  in  the 
evening  paper. 

"  Good  evenin',  Harry,"  said  the  little  maid,  as 
she  bounced  into  the  parlor. 

"  Oh,  Trixy  !  "  exclaimed  the  young  man  ris 
ing  in  haste.  "  How  do  you  do,  little  girl  ?  I'm 
very  much  obliged  to  you  for  calling  me  Harry. 
It  sounds  as  if  you  rather  liked  me." 

"  So  I  do,"  replied  Trixy.  "  I  s'pose  I  ought 
to  have  said  '  Mr.  Trewman,'  but  papa  and 
mamma  and  Aunt  Fee  always  calls  you  '  Harry ' 
when  they  talk  about  you,  so  I  said  it  without 
thinkin'." 

"Oh,  they  do,  eh?"  Mr.  Trewman's  clear 
complexion  flushed  pleasurably  and  his  mous 
tache  was  twirled  thoughtfully.  If  the  family 
talked  of  him  familiarly,  there  seemed  special 
reason  for  him  to  hope. 

"  Yes,  they  do  it  lots.  I  get  sick  of  it  some 
times,  'cause  I  want  to  ask  'em  somethin',  and 
mamma  says  I  mustn't  ever  interrupt  grown 


8  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

people  when  they're  talkin',  so  I  can't  ask  it,  and 
afterward  maybe  I  forget  what  I  was  going  to 
ask,  and  that  bothers  me  like  ev'rythin'." 

"  You  poor  little  sufferer  !  "  exclaimed  the 
young  man.  "  I  ought  to  do  something  very 
nice  for  you,  to  make  amends  for  causing  you  so 
•much  trouble.  What  kind  of  candy  do  you  most 
like  ?  —  or  mayn't  I  bring  you  a  new  doll  ?  " 

"  Papa  and  mamma  don't  like  me  to  eat  can 
dy,"  said  Trixy  with  a  sigh.  "  They  say  it's  bad 
for  my  'gestion.  Have  you  got  a  'gestion  ? " 

The  young  man  admitted  that  he  had,  but  he 
hastily  reverted  to  dolls  as  a  more  appropriate 
topic  of  conversation.  Trixy  looked  troubled 
and  finally  said : 

"  Oh,  dear !  Something  always  goes  wrong. 
I  need  a  new  baby  doll  awfully,  for  the  kitten 
bit  the  head  off  of  my  littlest  one,  but,  you  see, 
papa  and  mamma  says  it  isn't  proper  for  young 
ladies  to  accept  presents  from  gentlemen." 

"  Oh,  I  see — I  beg  a  thousand  pardons," 
Trewman  gravely  replied.  "  But  would  you 
object  to  my  asking  your  parents'  permission  to 
give  you  a  new  doll — the  finest  one  that  I  can 
find  ?" 

"Do  it — quick!"  exclaimed  Trixy,  her  eyes 
dancing  and  her  hands  clapping  gleefully.  "  I 
don't  think,  though,"  she  continued,  after  a 
moment  or  two  of  thought,  "  that  I  ought  to 
take  somethin'  for  nothin',  for  papa  says  that 
folks  who  do  that  are  real  mean." 

"  Something  for  nothing  ?  Why,  you  dear 
little  bundle  of  conscience,  I'm  to  give  you  the 
doll  in  part  payment  for  the  trouble  I  have  given 
you.  Don't  you  remember  ?  " 


A  BABE  /.V  THE  HOUSE.  g 

"  Oh,  yes  !  To— be— sure.  Well,  I  forget  my 
troubles  as  soon  as  I  tell  'm,  so — so  you  don't 
owe  me  anything." 

Trixy  looked  sad  as  the  promised  doll  began 
to  disappear  from  her  mental  vision,  so  the 
young  man  said  quickly : 

"  You  must  have  the  doll,  now  that  we've 
talked  about  it,  and  so  that  I  mayn't  lose  the 
pleasure  of  giving  it  to  you.  You  can  give  me 
something  for  it,  if  you  like — for  instance,  give 
me  a  penny,  to  wear  on  my  watch-chain." 

"I'll  tell  you  what,"  exclaimed  Trixy,  her 
face  suddenly  brightening.  "I'll  give  you  a 
lesson  for  it.  You  like  lessons,  don't  you — I  like 
'em — like  all  I  can  get,  and  I've  got  one  for  you 
that  Aunt  Fee  says  you  need,  so  I'm  sure  you'll 
like  it,  'cause  ev'rybody  likes  what  they  need, 
don't  they  ?  " 

The  young  men  admitted  that  they  ought,  if 
they  didn't,  but  his  face  quickly  became  grave, 
and  he  looked  furtively  toward  the  door  through 
which  Fenie  would  appear,  as  he  whispered  : 

"  Tell  it  to  me— quickly." 

"  Well,  it  ain't  a  very  big  lesson,  but  you 
needn't  give  me  a  very  big  doll.  Let  me  see — 
what  was  that  lesson  she  said  you  needed  ?  Oh, 
I  remember  :  she  said  that  young  men  ought  to 
know  better  than  to  go  calling  on  stormy  nights, 
when  ladies  don't  dress  up  and  be  ready  to  see 
company.  She  said  you  needed  a  lesson  about 
it,  and  you  had  sisters,  and  they  ought  to  teach 
it  to  you.  Mebbe,  though,  your  sisters  don't 
like  to  give  lessons  ?  " 

"  They're  not  as  active  at  it  as  they  might  be," 


io  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

replied  the  man  as  he  arose  hastily  and  took 
from  his  coat  pocket  a  small  package.  "  But — er 
— perhaps  I  am  not  as  much  to  blame  as  I  seem. 
I  dropped  in  to  leave  a  book  which  your  Aunt 
Fee  wished  to  read  but  couldn't  find,  and  I 
promised  to  get  it  for  her.  1  might  have  left  it 
at  the  door,  but  I  was  thinking  very  hard  at  the 
time  about — about  a  person  in  whom  I  am 
greatly  interested,  so  I  managed  to " 

"  Oh,  do  you  do  that  ?  "  asked  Trixy,  follow 
ing  the  young  man,  who  was  moving  rapidly 
toward  the  front  door. 

"Do  what?" 

"  Why,  think  of  one  thing  while  you  ought  to 
be  doing  some  other  thing  ?  'Cause  if  you  do, 
you're  just  like  me." 

"  Bless  you,  my  child,"  said  Trewman,  as  he 
opened  the  outer  door,  "  I  do  it  all  the  while. 
Indeed,  no  matter  what  I  am  doing  nowadays, 
my  mind  is  full  of  another  subject.'' 

"  Dear  me.     What  a  nice  subject  it  must  be ! " 

"  So  it  is ; — the  very  nicest  subject  in  the 
world." 

"Oh!    What  is  it?" 

"  I  can't  tell  you  now.     Good-night ! " 

"  Will  you  tell  me  some  other  time  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes — that  js,  I  hope  I  may." 

Five  minutes  later,  when  Miss  Tryphena 
Wardlow  descended  to  the  parlor  she  found  only 
Trixy,  who  was  rocking  ecstatically  in  her  own 
little  chair  and  thinking  of  the  doll  to  come. 

"Where's  Mr.  Trewman?"  asked  the  young 
woman. 

"  He's  gone.  He  left  this  book  for  you,  but  he 
took  his  lesson  with  him." 


A  BABE  IN  THE  HOUSE.  11 

"Lesson?    What  lesson?" 

"  Why,  the  one  you  said  he  needed.  I  gave  it 
to  him,  and  he's  goin'  to  give  me  a  doll  for  it." 

Fenie  looked  puzzled  for  a  moment;  then  her 
face  became  very  red  and  she  exclaimed  : 

"  You  dreadful  child !  Do  you  really  mean 
that  you  have  repeated  to  Harry  Trewman 
the " 

Fenie  stopped  abruptly,  darted  to  the  foot  of 
the  stairs,  shouted  "  Trif  !  "  dashed  through  the 
hall  to  the  dining  room,  and  exclaimed,  "  Phil, 
come  into  the  parlor — this  instant."  In  a 
moment  a  mystified  couple  was  staring  at  a 
young  woman  whose  beauty  was  enhanced  by  a 
great  flush  of  indignation  ;  they  also  saw  a  tear 
ful  little  girl  who  seemed  to  be  trying  to  shrink 
into  nothingness. 

It  took  an  hour  of  scolding,  and  petting,  and 
warning,  and  kissing  to  prepare  Trixy  for  bed, 
but  when  the  child  was  finally  disposed  of  Phil 
drawled : 

"If  you  girls  don't  want  things  repeated  by 
that  child  you  mustn't  say  them  in  her  hearing." 

"  But  she  never  seems  to  notice  what  is  said," 
explained  Fenie. 

"Umph!  Neither  does  a  phonograph  cylin 
der,  but  it  gets  them  all  the  same." 

"All  this  talk  about  Trixy  doesn't  make  our 
position  toward  Harry  Trewman  any  the  less 
awkward,"  said  Trif  gravely. 

"  Oh,  bother  Harry  Trewman,"  exclaimed 
Fenie  ;  but  there  was  a  look  in  her  face  which 
compelled  Phil  to  glance  slyly  at  his  wife,  and 
Trif  to  respond  with  a  merry  twinkle  of  her 
eyes. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A   TRANSACTION   IN   COTTON. 

HP  HE  week  that  followed  the  Trixy-Trewman 
1  incident  was  a  trying  one  to  Trif.  Her 
sister  Fenie,  although  an  intelligent  and  well- 
educated  young  woman  who  could  talk  well  on 
many  subjects,  and  whose  interests  were  generally 
as  broad  as  those  of  a  clever  young  woman  should 
be,  would  converse  about  nothing  but  the  dread 
ful  position  in  which  Trixy  had  placed  her  to 
ward  a  young  man  whom  she  cared  no  more  for 
than  for  old  Father  Adam — indeed,  not  as  much, 
for  Adam  was  regarded  by  all  good  people  of 
New  England  extraction  as  a  member  of  the 
family,  although  somewhat  remotely  removed. 

As  for  Trif,  she  had  no  patience  with  a  girl 
who  did  not  know  her  own  mind.  When  she 
had  first  met  Phil  Highwood,  nearly  ten  years 
before,  she  knew  at  once  what  to  think  of  him, 
and  she  had  never  changed  her  mind.  Neither 
had  she  thought  it  necessary  to  talk  of  him  to 
the  exclusion  of  everything  and  everybody 
else — not  at  least  until  she  had  been  married  to 
him  and  before  Trixy  made  her  appearance  as 
the  eighth  wonder  of  the  world  and  the  most 
important  creature  ever  born. 

It  would  never  do,  she  argued,  to  betray  her 

(12) 


A   TRANSACTION  JN  COTTON.         13 

feelings  to  and  about  her  sister,  for  she  had  de 
termined  to  have  Harry  Trewman  for  a  brother- 
in-law,  and  her  husband  loyally  supported  her  in 
her  decision.  But  what  was  to  be  done  ? 

Upon  one  thing  she  and  her  sister  were 
resolved,  and  one  morning  after  breakfast  the 
couple  called  upon  Phil  to  witness  their  resolu 
tion,  which  was  that  they  would  never  again  say 
in  Trixy's  hearing  anything  which  could  make 
mischief  by  being  repeated.  Phil  listened  with 
a  smile  so  provoking  that  Fenie  called  him  per 
fectly  horrid,  while  Trif  playfully  but  vigorously 
t>oxed  his  ears. 

"  Oh,  you'll  keep  that  resolution,"  Phil  ad 
mitted.  "  I've  no  doubt  whatever  that  both  of 
you  will  live  up  to  it — while  the  dear  child  is 
asleep,  but  if  either  of  you  blessed  women  think 
that  you're  going  to  leave  anything  unsaid  that 
you  want  to  say  while  you're  together  you're 
dangerously  mistaken.  You've  been  sisters  and 
chums  too  long  to  hold  your  tongues  at  home." 

"  I  flatter  myself,"  said  Trif  loftily,  while 
Fenie  pouted  exuberantly,  "  that  we  have  sense 
enough  to  make  each  other  understand  what  we 
have  to  say,  and  at  the  same  time  keep  the  child 
from  knowing  what  we  are  talking  about." 

"  Women  aren't  like  men,"  added  Fenie.  "  It 
isn't  always  necessary  for  them  to  talk  to  make 
themselves  understood.  Trif  has  told  me  thou 
sands  of  things  with  her  eyes,  without  saying  a 
word.'' 

"  She  certainly  has  a  remarkable  faculty  at 
that  sort  of  thing,"  said  Phil,  with  a  gentle  pinch 
at  his  wife's  cheek  '•  She  often  conversed  with 


14  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

me  across  the  entire  width  of  a  crowded  room — 
just  as  you'll  probably  do,  Fenie  dear,  when  the 
proper  man  appears.  At  the  present  time,  how 
ever,  there's  no  sign  that  either  of  you  will  let 
your  tongues  suffer  through  lack  of  exercise." 

"  Trif,"  said  Fenie,  "  isn't  it  about  time  for 
your  husband  to  be  on  his  way  to  his  office?  I'm 
sure  his  employers  will  complain  of  him  for  being 
late." 

When  Phil  had  departed,  the  two  women,  to 
make  assurance  doubly  sure,  called  Trixy  and 
gave  a  full  hour  of  cautions  against  repeating 
anything  whatever  that  she  might  chance  to 
overhear  in  the  house.  She  was  reminded  that 
she  was  mamma's  and  auntie's  little  lady,  and 
that  ladies  never  repeat  what  is  said  in  the  home 
circle,  and  that  nobody  liked  tale-bearers,  and 
that,  although  Harry  Trewman  was  not  of  the 
slightest  consequence — Fenie  was  elaborately 
explicit  on  this  point — some  dear  friend  of  the 
family  might  be  greatly  offended  by  hearing 
something  which  was  said  only  in  fun. 

Trixy  listened  attentively  and  promised  pro 
fusely;  then  she  retired  to  her  doll's  nursery  to 
have  a  long  season  of  thought  over  all  that  had 
been  said.  Fenie  often  worried  about  the  habits 
of  the  child,  for  dreaming  was  more  to  her  own 
taste,  but  Trif  said  that  Trixy's  way  was  entirely 
natural  and  proper;  she  had  exactly  the  same 
manner  when  she  was  a  little  girl ;  besides,  ac 
cording  to  Phil's  parents,  the  child's  father  had 
done  much  retiring  for  thought  in  his  youthful 
days. 

But  Trixy  had  much  besides  thinking  to  do. 


A   TRANSACTION  IN  COTTON.          15 

She  felt  greatly  mortified  at  having  made  any 
trouble,  and  the  less  there  seemed  to  be  of  the 
trouble,  according  to  her  Aunt  Fee,  the  more  of 
it  there  was — according  to  Trif.  She  reverted 
to  the  subject,  again  and  again,  asking  number 
less  questions  at  unexpected  times,  generally 
with  the  result  of  bringing  a  blush  to  Feme's  face. 
When  Trif  asked  her  husband  what  it  could  be 
that  made  the  child  so  curious,  despite  all  that 
had  been  done  to  belittle  Harry  Trewman  in 
connection  with  the  incident,  Phil's  only  reply 
was: 

"  There's  an  old  saying  to  the  point — "  You 
can't  fool  a  child  or  a  dog." 

Meanwhile  Trixy  went  on  thinking,  and  one 
day  she  came  to  her  mother  with  a  confession. 

"  You  see,  mamma,  I  thought  about  it  a  lot, 
and  I  thought  the  best  way  not  to  repeat  things 
was  not  to  hear  'em,  so  I  made  up  my  mind  that 
I  wouldn't  listen  any  more  to  anything  that 
wasn't  said  right  straight  to  me." 

"  Sensible  little  girl,"  exclaimed  Trif,  showing 
her  approval  further  by  a  shower  of  caresses  and 
kisses. 

"  Oh,"  said  Trixy,  trying  to  escape,  "  but  you 
don't  know  how  bad  I  am.  Since  I  made  up 
my  mind  to  stop  hearing  things  I've  heard  more 
of  them  than  ever." 

"You  poor  little  darling,"  exclaimed  Trif, 
snatching  the  child  into  her  arms,  "  you  must 
stop  tormenting  yourself  in  that  manner.  Stop 
thinking  about  it,  dear.  Listen  when  you  like, 
and  when  you  don't.  Perhaps  that  will  cure 
you." 


1 6  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  Oh,  I  know  a  better  way  than  that,"  said 
Trixy,  perching  herself  upon  her  mother's  knee, 
and  looking  up  with  the  expression  of  a  cherub. 
"You  remember  that  time  when  I  had  the  ear 
ache  and  you  put  cotton,  with  smelly  stuff  on  it, 
in  my  ears?  Well,  I  couldn't  hear  a  thing  then. 
Now,  I  think " 

"  Be  quiet,  dear,"  exclaimed  Trif.  "  You  talk 
as  if  you  were  some  dreadful  creature  from 
somewhere,  instead  of  mamma's  darling,  sweet, 
good  little  daughter." 

A  morning  call  put  an  end  to  the  interview, 
but  a  few  hours  later,  while  Trif  was  sewing 
busily  and  Fenie  was  talking  volubly  and  aim 
lessly  about  Harry  Trewman,  a  light  step  was 
heard  in  the  room,  and  Fenie  dropped  her  sub 
ject  for  a  moment,  and  exclaimed: 

"  Tryphosa  Wardlow  Highwood,  will  you  look 
at  your  daughter — this  instant  ?  " 

Trixy  was  evidently  expecting  to  be  looked 
at,  and  was  pleased  at  the  effect  of  her  appear 
ance.  Over  each  ear  was  a  great  dark  ball  or 
wad  of  something,  her  mother  could  not  imagine 
what,  until  examination  showed  that  the  outside 
of  each  was  a  rubber  tobacco  pouch,  two  or  three 
of  which  Phil  had  discarded  :when  he  gave  up 
smoking  pipes.  Inside  of  each  was  a  mass  of 
raw  cotton,  and  the  mouth  of  each  bag  was  tied 
tightly  around  a  juvenile  ear. 

"  I  can't  hear  hardly  a  thing,"  shouted  Trixy. 
"  A  little  bit  of  cotton  in  each  ear  didn't  make 
much  difference,  but  a  whole  lot  on  the  outside 
made  lots,  and  the  bags  made  more,  beside  keep 
ing  the  cotton  on.  Now  go  on  talkin'  all  you 
like;  I'm  goin'  to  read." 


A   TRANSACTION  IN  COTTON.          17 

"  She  shan't  wear  those  dreadful  things,  ex 
claimed  Fenie,  untying  the  bags,  despite  Trixy's 
remonstrances.  "  She  shan't  keep  cotton  in  her 
ears,  either.  The  idea  of  the  darling  little  thing- 
being " 

"  Let  her  have  her  way  a  little  while,"  said 
Trif.  "  It  will  amuse  her,  without  harming  any 
one  else.  Besides,  you  may  accidentally  men 
tion  Harry  Trewman  in  the  course  of  the  after 
noon,  and — 

There  must  have  been  a  note  of  sarcasm  in 
Trif's  voice,  for  Fenie  retorted  sharply  : 

"  Tryphosa,  this  is  your  house,  and  if  you  dis 
like  that  young  man  so  much  that  you  object  to 
the  child  hearing  the  sound  of  his  name,  why 
I " 

"  Fenie !  Fenie,  dear  !  ''  interrupted  Trif, 
scarcely  able  to  control  her  voice  and  not  daring 
to  lift  her  eyes  from  the  work  which  she  had 
resumed.  "  Whatever  you  like  to  talk  about, 
you  know  I  like  to  hear  about.  Aren't  you  my 
only  sister,  and  my " 

"  I  didn't  suppose  that  I  talked  much  about 
Harry  Trewman,"  said  Fenie,  making  a  pre 
tense  of  sewing  industriously. 

"  You  mean  nothing  but  what  is  entirely  right, 
dear  girl." 

"  Then  why  do  you  object  to  that  innocent  child 
hearing  what  I  say?  I'm  sure  that  I  say  noth 
ing  which  any  one  might  not  listen  to— do  I  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not ;  still,  don't  you  remember 
what  happened  a  night  or  two  ago,  dear,  through 
a  certain  child  hearing  something  and  repeat 
ing  it?" 


i8  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"Yes,  but — "  here  Fenie  looked  cautiously 
toward  Trixy,  who  was  reading,  with  an  air  of 
utter  absorption  -  "  but  I'm  not  likely  to  speak  so 
foolishly  again.  Trif,  do  let  me  take  the  cotton 
from  that  child's  ears.  It  is  making  her  uncom 
fortable.  See.  She  is  rubbing  one  of  her  ears 
now." 

"  She  is  sensible  enough  to  complain  when  it 
really  hurts.  You  don't  imagine  that  her  mother 
will  let  her  suffer,  do  you  ?" 

"No,  but — well  as  I  was  saying,  I  don't  really 
talk  much  about  Harry  Trewman,  do  I  ?" 

Trif  looked  up  so  intently  and  roguishly  that 
Fenie  blushed  deeply,  and  the  blush  remained 
while  Trif  said  softly  : 

"  Really,  dear,  you  don't  talk  much  about  any 
thing  else." 

"I  don't  see  how  you  can  say  that,"  replied 
Fenie  with  uncertain  voice,  "  when  you  know 
that  I  don't  care  anything — or  not  much,  for 
him  or  about  him.  I  don't  suppose  I  would 
have  spoken  his  name  a  single  time  this  week 
if  he  hadn't  come  here  last  week,  and  if  Trixy 
hadn't  made  that  dreadful  blunder.  You  cer 
tainly  don't  think  me  in  love  with  him,  I  hope  ?'' 

"  I  hope  not,  dear.  There  are  many  grada 
tions  of  feeling  that  a  true  woman  must  go 
through  before  she  can  say  honestly  that  she 
is  in  love.  But  you — well,  you  like  him  a  little 
better  than  you  like  any  other  of  your  admirers, 
don't  you  ?" 

"  Ye— es,  I  suppose  I  do,"  replied  Fenie,  her 
voice  not  entirely  under  control.  "  He  is  gentle 
manly,  and  honest-looking,  and  never  brings  the 


A   TRANSACTION  IN  COTTON.         19 

odor  of  liquor  or  tobacco  with  him.  He  doesn't 
make  silly  attempts  at  flattery,  and  he  talks  a 
great  deal  about  his  sisters,  who  are  very  nice 
girls,  and  he  knows  when  to  go  home,  instead  of 
dawdling  here  until  midnight,  and  we  like  the 
same  books  and  pictures,  so " 

"  And  so  he  is  a  pleasant  acquaintance  to 
have— too  pleasant  to  lose  entirely  ?" 

"Yes,  indeed,  and  if  it  hadn't  been  for  that 
dreadful  child — there,  Trif,  she's  rubbing  that 
ear  again.  I'm  sure  she's  in  pain.  Do  let  me 
remove  that  ridiculous  cotton." 

"  Tut,  tut.     Go  on.     You  were  saying " 

"  Oh,  what  was  I  saying  ?  What  were  we 
talking  about?''  asked  Fenie,  with  charming  but 
entirely  transparent  hypocrisy.  "  Oh,  I  was 
merely  going  to  say  that  if  Trixy  hadn't  made 
that  dreadful  speech  to  him  the  other  night,  I 
wouldn't  have  missed  one  delightful  party — 
perhaps  two,  to  which  he  and  his  oldest  sister 
would  have  taken  me." 

"  Oh,  I  see.  'Tis  only  the  parties  that  trouble 
you." 

"  Tryphosa,"  exclaimed  Fenie  indignantly,  as 
she  arose  from  her  chair,  "  I  think  you're  real 
unkind — real  tormenting.  First  you  make  fun  of 
me  for  talking  a  lot  about  him,  and  then  you 
make  me  talk  about  him  a  great  deal  more.  I 
wasn't  going  to  say  a  word  about  him  this 
afternoon,  but  you've  kept  me  at  it  in  spite  of 
myself.  Perhaps  you  don't  want  me  to  like  him. 
We'll,  I  shan't  oblige  you.  I  do  like  him.  I'm 
not  a  bit  in  love  with  him,  but  I  do  like  him 
ever  so  much,  and  I'm  not  a  bit  ashamed  to  say 
so.  There !" 


20  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  Bravo  !"  exclaimed  Trif,  springing  from  her 
chair  and  throwing  her  arms  about  her  sister. 
"  I'm  glad  that  at  last  you  know  your  own  mind. 
Now  stop  acting  like  a  child,  and  be  the  woman 
you  have  the  right  to  be.  I'm  proud  of  you,  my 
darling  sister — proud  of  your  honesty  and  spirit. 
But — why,  my  dear  girl,  what  is  the  matter  ?" 

"  Harry's  been  driven  away  from  here,"  sobbed 
Fenie,  "  and  I'm  dreadful  unhappy  about  it,  and 
I  want  him  to  come  back." 

"  Hurrah,"  sounded  a  high  childish  treble. 
The  sisters  looked  in  the  direction  of  the  sound, 
and  there  stood  Trixy,  with  glowing  cheeks  and 
dancing  eyes  as  she  continued : 

"  I  want  him  to  come  back,  too,  for  he  prom 
ised  to  bring  me  a  doll." 

"  Trixy,"  exclaimed  Fenie  severely.  Trixy 
understood  at  once  and  looked  guilty,  but  she 
explained : 

"One  of  the  cottons  dropped  out,  and  I  didn't 
know  a  thing  about  it  till  you  boo-hoo'd." 


CHAPTER    III. 

UNAPPRECIATED. 

"  F)HIL,"  said  Trif  from  her  pillow  one 
1  morning  very  early,  "are  you  awake?" 
Phil  half  wished  he  wasn't,  for  he  was  just 

sinking  into  the  morning's  final  doze,  but  loyalty 

compelled  him  to  admit  that  he  was  not  asleep. 
"I'm  so  glad,''  responded  Trif,  "for  I've 

thought  out  a  plan  for  making   matters  right 

once  more  between  Fenie  and  Harry.'' 

"  So  have  I,   my  dear,  so  between  us  we'll  be 

sure  to  succeed.    Now  let's  drop  asleep  again; 

if  we  talk  much  we'll  get  Trixy  awake  far  too 

long  before  breakfast,  which  won't  be  good  for 

her." 
"  There's  no  danger.     The   dear  little  thing 

sleeps  soundly  nowadays.  What  is  your  plan  ?" 
"  'Tis  simply  to  invite  him  and  his  sister 

Kate  to  dinner." 
"  How  stupid  !    You  don't  suppose  he'll  come 

after  what  he  heard  the  last  time  he  was  here?" 
"  Won't  come  ?     Why  not  ?" 
"  Because  he  was  rudely  driven  away.  " 
"  Nonsense !     Did  you  ever  drive  flies  from 

sugar  or   sweetmeats  ?     Didn't  they  return  as 

soon  as  they  saw  a  ghost  of  a  chance  ?  " 

(21) 


22  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  I  don't  think  the  comparison  is  complimen 
tary,  either  to  my  sister  or  to  Harry.'' 

"  Why  not  ?  Fenie  is  the  sweetest  creature 
that  I  know  of,  except  you,  and  if  Harry  can  or 
will  keep  away  from  her  he's  not  half  the  man  I 
take  him  to  be." 

"  But  he  certainly  has  some  self-respect  ?  " 

"  Yes,  far  too  much  to  be  discouraged  by  a 
single  rebuff.  Do  you  suppose  I'd  have  lost  you 
through  any  such  reason  as  you  think  is  keeping 
him  away  at  present?  I  suppose  he  may  be 
feeling  dismal,  poor  fellow,  but  at  the  same  time 
he's  learning  how  much  he  cares  for  Fenie, 
which  isn't  a  bad  sort  of  knowledge  for  a  young 
man  to  have.  As  to  Fenie '' 

"  Sh — h — !  I  didn't  mean  to  tell  you  about 
her,  for  the  secret  is  hers,  not  mine,  and — 

"  But  you  couldn't  keep  anything  from  your 
husband,  oh  ?  Well,  this  heart  is  a  safe  place 
to  come  to  with  confidences." 

"  Phil,  dear.     Do  be  serious  a  moment !  " 

"  I  never  was  more  serious  in  my  life,  my 
dear.  Havn't  I  just  ruined  the  last  nap  to 
which  I  was  entitled?  As  to  the  young  people, 
we'll  have  Harry  and  his  sister  to  dinner  as  soon 
as  you  like.  The  sister  will  come,  because  she 
likes  your  dinners,  your  sister  and  you  ;  Harry 
will  come  rather  than  explain  to  his  sister.  He 
and  Fenie  will  feel  so  uncomfortable  at  first  that 
they  will  be  unusually  affable  to  each  other,  and 
within  half  an  hour  they  will  be  far  better  friends 
than  ever  before.  Don't  you  see  ?  " 

"  Upon  my  word,"  exclaimed  Trif,  with  an 
impulsive  kiss,  "  you're  a  born  match-maker." 


UNAPPRECIA  TED,  23 

"  Pshaw,"  exclaimed  Phil,  pretending  not  to 
be  delighted  with  the  compliment,  "  I'm  merely 
a  common-sense  judge  of  human  nature.  If 
you'll  only  keep  your  irrepressible  baby  from 
hearing  things  in  the  meantime,  and  saying 
them  to  the  wrong  people,  everything  will  go 
well." 

"  I'm  sure  I  can't  imagine  how  she  can  make 
any  trouble.  I'm  sure  that  Fenie  has  given  her 
cautions  enough  during  the  last  week,  to  make 
the  child  afraid  to  say  a  word  about  anything  to 
anyone  who  shouldn't  hear  it.  At  least  once  an 
hour,  all  day  long,  it  has  been  '  Trixy,  don't' — 
and  '  Trixy,  don't ' — and " 

"Don't  what,  mamma?"  drawled  a  gentle 
K)ice  from  a  crib  near  the  bed. 

"  Nothing,  dear.  Go  to  sleep  again."  The 
remaining  conversation  between  husband  and 
wife  was  conducted  in  soft  whispers. 

Several  hours  later  Harry  Trewman's  sister 
Kate  dropped  in,  "just  for  a  moment."  Kate 
was  a  wide-awake  young  woman,  several  years 
Fenie's  senior.  She  had  seen  that  something 
was  troubling  her  brother,  and  it  took  very  little 
time  for  her  to  determine  that  Fenie  was  the 
something.  In  Kate's  opinion  Harry,  although 
little  more  than  a  year  younger  than  she,  was  a 
mere  boy  who  needed  sisterly  management,  and 
Kate  was  not  *h<j  woman  to  shirk  any  family 
duty. 

Trif  and  Jfenie  chanced  to  be  out  shopping, 
and  Kate  was  departing  when  Trixy  came 
through  the  hall  with  some  doll's  garments 
which  had  just  been  laundered.  Each  looked 
at  the  other  inquiringly,  and  Trixy  said: 


24  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  Did  you  bring  it  ?  " 

"  Bring  what,  Trixy  ?  " 

"  Why,  the  doll  your  brother  Harry  promised 
me.  I  thought  maybe  he  sent  it  by  you,  seeing 
he  doesn't  come  here  any  more." 

"  Doesn't  come  here  any  more  ?  " 

"  No.     Didn't  he  tell  you  ?  " 

Kate  hesitated  a  moment  before  answering. 
To  extract  information  from  a  child  or  a  servant 
seemed  to  her  a  very  mean  act— when  other 
women  did  it.  On  the  other  hand,  she  owed 
loyal  service  to  her  brother,  who  was  utterly  in 
capable  of  managing  his  own  affairs,  so  far  as 
young  women  were  concerned.  Besides,  Kate 
was  sure  that  she  was  simply  dying  of  curiosity, 
so  she  choked  her  sense  of  propriety  and  replied : 

"  I  don't  know  until  you  make  me  fully  under 
stand  what  you  are  talking  about." 

"Why,"  said  Trixy,  opening  her  eyes  very 
wide,  "  he  learned  a  lesson  here,  and  I  taught  it 
to  him,  though  Aunt  Fee  said  his  sisters  ought 
to  have  done  it.  'Twas  that  young  men  oughtn't 
to  go  calling  stormy  evenings  when  young  ladies 
don't  expect  company  and  put  on  their  nicest 
dresses.  He  was  going  to  give  me  a  doll  for 
teachin'him  the  lesson,  but  he  hasn't  sent  it  yet, 
and  I've  been  hopin'  for  it  ev'ry  day,  and 
thinkin'  he'd  bring  it,  but  Aunt  Fee  says  he 
won't  come  here  any  more,  and  she  cried  a  whole 

lot  about  it  the  other  day,  and .  Why,  don't 

you  know  it  ain't  polite  to  go  away  while  some 
body's  talking  to  you  ?  I'm  'stonished." 

Kate  had  moved  abruptly  toward  the  door; 
she  had  learned  all  she  wanted  to  know,  and  she 


UNAPPRECIA  TED.  25 

was  feeling  very  uncomfortable  with  the  infor 
mation  which  followed,  so  she  said : 

"Excuse  me,  Trixy,  but  I'm  afraid  you're  tell 
ing  me  more  than  you  should.  Little  girls 
shouldn't  repeat  all  they  hear;  haven't  your 
parents  ever  told  you  so?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  assented  Trixy  cheerfully;  "they 
was  dreadfully  worried  for  fear  I'd  say  some 
thing  to  the  wrong  people.  The  idea  of  it !  " 
Trixy  found  the  idea  so  funny  that  she  laughed 
heartily ;  Kate  at  the  same  time  wished  she  had 
not  entered  the  house.  She  thought  rapidly  and 
said  : 

"Trixy  dear,  let's  have  a  nice  little  secret  be 
tween  you  and  me.  Don't  say  anything  to  any 
one  about  our  chat  this  morning,  or  that  I've 
been  here,  until  I  say  you  may,  and  I  will  give 
you  two  dolls — half  a  dozen  dolls,  if  you  like, 
and  then  we'll  both  together  tell  the  whole  story 
to  your  mama  and  your  Aunt  Fenie,  and  have  a 
great  joke  about  it." 

"  Oh,  good,  good,  good !  "  exclaimed  Trixy, 
trying  to  climb  up  to  Kate's  face  to  kiss  it,  for 
Trixy  was  a  grateful  little  thing,  and  dearly 
loved  a  joke  and  a  secret,  probably  because  she 
couldn't  possibly  keep  either  of  them.  She  be 
stowed  her  kiss,  with  several  others  to  keep  it 
company,  and  Miss  Trewman  left  the  house  just 
in  time  to  meet  Trif  and  Fenie  about  a  hundred 
steps  away.  She  passed  them  briskly,  although 
with  a  cheery  '•  Good  morning,"  but  in  a  mo 
ment  she  asked  herself : 

'•  I  wonder  if  they'll  suspect  ?  Thank  good 
ness,  I  didn't  leave  my  card." 


26  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  Oh,  Trif ! "  said  Fenie.  "  She  looked  as  if 
she  had  been  at  our  house.  I  do  hope  she  didn't 
meet  Trixy." 

"  Fenie!''  exclaimed Tirf  indignantly, although 
she  had  been  impressed  by  the  same  hope,  or 
fear,  "  don't  act  like  an  insane  person.  The 
entire  world  doesn't  revolve  about  you  and 
Harry  Trewman." 

Fenie  was  suppressed  for  the  moment,  but 
when  she  entered  the  house  and  saw  Trixy 
capering  ecstatically  through  the  parlor,  and 
singing  shrilly : 

Half  a  dozen  dolls  ; 
Half  a  dozen  dolls  ; 

Half  a  dozen, 

Half  a  dozen, 
Half  a  dozen  dolls. 

she  exclaimed : 

"  Trixy,  has  any  one  been  here  ?  " 

"  I  can't  tell  you,  'cause  it's  a  secret.  Say, 
Aunt  Fee,  ain't  the  Trewmans  awful  rich  ?  I 
should  think  they  must  be,  if  one  of  them  can 
give  away  six  dolls  at  a  time." 

"Oh,  Trif!"  exclaimed  Fenie,  posing  like  a 
tragedy  queen,  "  'twas  just  as  I  feared." 

"  Trixy,"  said  Trif  gently  as  she  seated  herself 
and  drew  the  child  to  her  side,  "when  Miss 
Trewman  was  here,  did " 

"Why,  has  she  let  out  the  secret  already? 
Dear  me  !  Some  grown  folks  are  leaky,  as  well 
as  little  girls,  aren't  they  ?'' 

"She  told  me  nothing,"  replied  Trif,  "so  I 
want  you  to  tell  me  what  you  said  to  her  " 


UNAPPRECIA  TED.  yj 

"But,  mamma  dear,  I  can't,  'cause  it's  a  secret 
and  both  of  us  are  to  tell  it  to  you  together." 

"  When  ?"  asked  Fenie  in  a  tone  that  made 
the  child  tremble  as  she  replied  : 

"  I  don't  know,  but  I  hope  awful  soon,  'cause 
then  she's  goin'  to  give  me — oh,  I  almost  told." 

"  Almost  told  what  ?"  Fenie  demanded. 
"  Don't  you  know  that  little  girls  have  no  right 
to  keep  things  secret  from  their  mothers  ?" 

Trixy  looked  up  pitifully.  Feme's  face,  which 
as  long  as  Trixy  could  remember,  had  been  full 
of  smiles  and  dimples,  was  now  stern  and  com 
manding.  Trixy's  eyes  filled  with  tears,  but 
Feme's  face  remained  stern  and  unrelenting. 

"  You  don't  want  me  to  tell  lies,  I  hope,  and 
be  burned  a  whole  lot  after  I  die  ?"  sobbed  the 
child. 

"I'd  almost  rather  you'd  tell  lies  than  repeat 
some  things  which  you  think  are  true." 

"  Fenie !"  exclaimed  Trif.  Then  it  was  Feme's 
turn  to  cry.  Trif  banished  her  with  a  look,  and 
then  began  to  question  the  child ;  but  just  outside 
the  door  stood  a  young  woman  with  the  air  of  a 
person  determined  to  hear  whatever  was  said, 
no  matter  how  true  might  be  the  old  saying  that 
listeners  never  hear  any  good  of  themselves. 

"  You  may  keep  your  secret,  dear,  or  what  is 
left  of  it,"  said  Trif,  taking  Trixy  upon  her  knee. 
"  Mamma  knows  that  Miss  Trewman  was  here, 
but  you  did  not  tell  her,  so  don't  feel  bad  about 
it.  I  hope,  though,  that  you  didn't  forget  all 
that's  been  said  to  you  about  talking  about 
family  affairs  to  persons  whom  they  don't 
concern." 


28  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  Why,  mamma  dear,  I  wouldn't  do  such  a 
dreadful  thing.  But  Miss  Trewman's  brother 
wasn't  a  thing  that  didn't  concern  her,  was  he  ?'' 

Fenie,  outside  the  door,  wiped  her  eyes  and 
wrung  her  hands  as  Trif  replied : 

"  That  depends  upon  what  you  said  about 
him/' 

"Why,  I  only  said  he  didn't  come  here  no 
more,  and  I  was  awful  sorry,  'cause  he  promised 
me  a  doll,  and  I've  been  waitin'  for  it  awful 
hard.  And  it  wasn't  wrong,  was  it,  to  say  that 
Aunt  Fee  was  awful  sorry  too,  and  cried  a  whole 
lot  about  it  ?  You  know  the  Trewman  girls  like 
Aunt  Fee,  ever  so  much." 

There  was  a  pronounced  rustle  in  the  hall, 
and  Trif  and  Trixy  hurried  out  just  in  time  to 
see  a  sobbing  girl  hurrying  up  the  stair.  They 
followed  her,  but  Fenie  dashed  into  her  own 
room,  slammed  the  door,  and  shot  the  bolt  with 
much  unnecessary  noise.  She  paid  no  attention 
to  many  knocks  and  gentle  calls  by  her  sister, 
so  finally  Trif  sat  down  upon  the  top  stair, 
placed  her  elbows  on  her  knees  and  her  face  in 
her  hands,  and  looked  so  unhappy  that  Trixy 
cuddled  to  her  side  and  kissed  and  caressed  her. 
The  child  got  no  response,  but  a  sad  look  which 
was  so  reproachful  and  prolonged  that  Trixy 
herself  burst  into  tears  and  exclaimed : 

"  Oh,  dear !  I  wish  I  hadn't  ever  come  down 
from  heaven,  or  done  anythin',  or  anythin',  or 
anythin'." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

IX  CHARGE  OF  EACH  OTHER. 

HARRY  TREWMAN  and  his  sister  were  in 
vited  to  dine  with  the  Highwoods,  although 
Fenie  declared  that  after  what  had  been  said  to 
them,  neither  of  them  would  think  for  an  instant 
of  coming.  For  herself,  she  was  sure  that  she 
couldn't  and  wouldn't  face  them  for  all  the 
world,  and  that  she  never  wanted  to  see  either 
of  them  again.  Should  they  accept  the  invi 
tation,  Fenie  declared  that  she  would  excuse 
herself  with  the  sick  headache,  which  she  cer 
tainly  would  have  on  the  occasion. 

When,  however,  the  Trewmans  did  decline, 
on  the  plea  of  a  previous  engagement,  Fenie 
was  so  inconsistent  as  to  declare  that  she  was 
the  most  miserable  person  alive,  and  that  she 
wished  she  was  dead. 

Then  every  one  in  the  house,  from  the  master 
down  to  the  single  servant,  became  wretched, 
for  Fenie  had  always  been  a  cheerful  creature, 
romping  with  Trixy  as  if  she  herself  was  not 
more  than  seven  years  old,  singing  merrily 
throughout  the  day,  and  working  harder  than 
any  hireling  when  there  was  work  to  be  done. 

Trif  talked  sensibly  to  the  girl;  Phil  joked 
with  her,  but  Trixy  remained  almost  as  silent  as 
(29) 


30  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

a  mute,  and  looked  as  if  she  were  laboring  under 
a  heavy  load  of  remorse  and  contrition.  Even 
her  father's  boisterous  play,  of  which  she  was  as 
fond  as  if  she  were  a  boy,  was  treated  as  if  it 
was  far  too  good  for  her,  and  as  if  she  had  no 
right  to  enjoy  it.  Then  Phil  began  to  worry. 

"Trif,"  said  he,  "you  must  reason  that  child 
out  of  her  remorse,  or  you'll  have  an  invalid  on 
your  hands." 

"  I  hope  and  pray  that  I  may  not,  for  I  already 
have  one  invalid.  I'm  seriously  frightened  about 
Fenie.  The  only  fault  I've  ever  had  to  find  with 
her  was  that  she  never  would  take  things  seri 
ously,  no  matter  how  important  they  were,  but 
now — oh,  it  seems  as  if  all  the  seriousness  of 
the  Wardlow  blood  was  concentrated  in  her,  and 
all  on  account  of  the  innocent  blundering  of  that 
darling  child.  I  know  the  affair  is  shattering 
her  health,  and  sometimes  I  fear  it  is  injuring 
her  reason." 

"  Nonsense !  Give  her  a  change  of  some 
kind,  and  shell  recover  quickly.  At  present  she 
doesn't  love  that  fellow,  although  I  suppose  she 
thinks  she  does — girls  as  young  as  she  are  very 
likely  to  mistake  mere  interest  in  a  man  for  some 
thing  more  serious.  Take  her,  and  Trixy,  on  a 
little  trip  somewhere — run  down  to  Florida  and 
back.  This  is  just  the  season  for  such  a  trip.'' 

"  Philip  Highwood  !  You  talk  as  if  we  were 
made  of  money.  We  haven't  a  fortune." 

"  But  we  have,  my  dear ;  we  have  two  for 
tunes.  Fenie  is  one  and  Trixy  is  the  other,  and 
I  don't  intend  to  lose  either,  if  I  can  help  it." 

"  A  trip  to  Florida  may  cost  all  we've  saved." 


IN  CHARGE  OF  EACH  OTHER.        31 

"  What  does  that  matter,  if  it  saves  Fenie 
and  Trixy  for  us  ?  " 

Phil  had  his  way  in  the  end,  for  the  good  and 
sufficient  reason  that  he  and  Trif  loved  each 
other  so  well  that  it  took  but  a  few  moments' 
talk  to  make  the  way  of  one  the  way  of  both,  no 
matter  who  devised  it.  The  Florida  trip  cost 
Phil  some  pangs,  for  he  had  intended  to  start  a 
country  home  in  the  spring — a  modest  one,  but 
everything  costs  money  in  this  practical  world 
of  ours.  He  did  not  look  forward  with  pleasure, 
either,  to  being  separated  from  his  wife  and 
child  for  a  fortnight  or  more,  for  they  had 
seldom  been  apart  more  than  a  single  day ; 
nevertheless,  he  kept  all  these  things  to  himself, 
although  he  did  much  thinking  about  them. 

As  to  the  travelers,  Trif  assured  Fenie,  in 
entire  honesty,  that  Phil  was  dreadfully  troubled 
about  Trixy's  health,  upon  which  Fenie  made 
haste  to  show  that  she  really  could  think  of  more 
than  one  thing  at  a  time. 

Trixy  was  informed,  with  equal  care,  but  far 
more  detail,  that  her  Aunt  Fee  was  quite  ill, 
but  that  not  a  word  was  to  be  said  about  it  in 
any  circumstances,  even  to  Aunt  Fee  herself. 

"  I  know  all  about  it,"  said  the  child,  her  eyes 
filling  with  tears,  "  and  I  was  the  dreadful  little 
girl  that  made  her  sick.  I  thought  lots  about 
it,  and  prayed  lots  about  it,  and  cried  whole 
pillows-ful  about  it,  but  it  hasn't  done  any 
good." 

"  Now  is  the  time  to  do  a  lot  of  good,  dear ; 
you  can  mend  your  ways  by  trying  to  help  mend 
Annt  Fee." 


32  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

So  it  was  arranged  that  Trixy  should  regard 
herself  as  her  Aunt  Fee's  one  special  nurse  during 
the  Southern  trip,  and  that  Trif  should  be  phy 
sician,  to  be  consulted  whenever  necessary,  al 
though  the  best  medicine,  for  the  invalid,  Trif 
declared,  would  be  some  of  Trixy's  chat  and 
play. 

"  The  best  medicine  she  could  have  would  be 
a  long  look  at  Harry  Trewman's  face,"  added 
Phil,  as  the  child  left  the  room.  "  If  she " 

"  I  just  came  back,  mamma,''  said  Trixy,  re 
turning  suddenly,  "  to  tell  papa  that  if  Miss 
Trewman  brings  around  them — I  mean  those — 
half  a  dozen  dolls,  that  he'll  express  ?em  to  me, 
won't  he?  'Cause  I've  told  all  my  other  dolls 
about  it,  and  they  look  disappointeder  and  dis- 
appointeder  every  mornin'  when  they  wake  up. 
And  papa'll  send  me  any  letters  that  come  for 
me,  won't  he  ?  "  Then  Trixy  danced  away  again, 
while  her  father  remarked : 

"  If  that  child's  imagination  keeps  in  growth 
with  her  body,  there'll  be  a  woman  novelist  in 
the  family  in  the  course  of  time." 

Trif  and  Trixy  and  Fenie  started  for  Florida 
by  easy  stages,  Phil  having  told  his  wife  that 
two  or  three  stops  could  be  made  at  places 
where  a  sorrowful  girl  of  temperament  naturally 
lively  might  have  her  thoughts  diverted  in  spite 
of  any  determination  to  the  contrary. 

The  first  stop  was  at  Old  Point  Comfort, 
which  most  young  women  who  have  been  there 
prefer  to  call  Fortress  Monroe,  for  the  largest  fort 
in  the  United  States  is  there,  and  within  it  are 
always  thirty  or  forty  officers,  who,  whether 


IN  CHARGE  OF  EACH  OTHER.         33 

young  or  old,  make  delightful  company  of  them 
selves,  during  their  brief  moments  off  duty,  for 
all  charming  women  at  the  enormous  hotel 
which,  with  the  fort,  contains  almost  the  entire 
population  of  Old  Point  Comfort.  For  the  rest, 
there  is  little  there  but  water  and  air— but  such 
water  and  air!  At  one  side  of  the  fort  is  the 
James  River,  several  miles  wide,  at  the  other 
side  is  Chesapeake  Bay,  so  wide  that  one  cannot 
see  the  other  shore,  while  in  front  Hampton 
Roads  extends  ten  miles  away,  to  the  outskirts 
of  the  ancient  and  picturesque  city  of  Norfolk. 

Fenie  conscientiously  intended  to  be  unhappy, 
no  matter  where  she  might  be,  no  matter  how 
much  attention  she  might  give  to  Trixy.  Be 
sides,  the  party  arrived  at  the  Point  about  sun 
rise  in  early  April,  when  scarcely  any  one  was 
stirring,  and  the  outside  of  a  great  hotel  is  not 
an  inspiriting  object  to  contemplate  when  there 
is  no  human  being  visible  to  relieve  it. 

Trixy,  however,  had  not  determined  to  be  any 
thing  dreadful,  so  she  was  no  sooner  ashore  and 
feeling  the  gentle  sea  breeze  upon  her  cheeks 
and  in  her  lungs,  than  she  began  running  to 
and  fro  on  the  beach  in  front  of  the  hotel,  and 
tossing  pebbles  at  Fenie,  and  even  dropping  a 
small  pebble  between  Feme's  collar  and  neck, 
and  Fenie  called  her  a  dreadful  little  wretch 
and  began  to  chase  her,  for  there  was  no  one  by 
to  see,  except  Trif,  who  made  no  objection.  The 
sea  air  had  been  stimulating  Fenie,  too,  and 
before  she  had  thought  it  possible  to  do  any 
thing  inconsistent  with  sentimental  dismalness 
she  had  acquired  rosy  cheeks,  bright  eyes,  and 
3 


34  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

an  earnest  longing-  for  breakfast.  As  for  Trif, 
she  sought  the  telegraph  office  to  wire  her 
husband : 

"  Both  invalids  already  much  better." 

After  breakfast  Trif  chanced  to  meet  an  old 
acquaintance  on  the  piazza.  Fenie,  by  a  violent 
effort,  regained  her  sadness  and  declined  to  meet 
any  one.  As  Phil  had  said  that  ladies  and  chil 
dren  could  safely  go  about  unattended  at  Old 
Point,  Trif  begged  Trixy  to  take  her  Aunt  Fee 
a  long  walk  on  the  beach,  and  to  play  as  freely 
as  she  liked.  Then  Trif  begged  Fenie  to  keep 
dear  Trixy  out  of  doors,  under  the  mild  sun  and 
in  the  invigorating  air,  and  Fenie  was  glad  of 
an  excuse  to  get  away  from  other  people,  so 
the  couple  strolled  along  the  beach,  in  the 
direction  of  the  lighthouse  and  the  water  bat 
tery,  enjoying  the  strangeness  of  everything 
they  saw. 

"  What's  that  bird-cage  on  top  of  that  funny 
little  straight  up-and-down  house  for  ?"  asked 
Trixy,  pointing  to  the  lighthouse. 

"  That's  not  a  bird-cage,  dear.  That  is  the 
light  that  the  Government  puts  in  its  window 
here,  to  show  the  sailors  the  way  home.  It 
burns  very  brightly,  and  all  night  long." 

"  Dear  me  !  What  a  big  gas  bill  the  Govern 
ment  must  have  to  pay  !  Say,  Aunt  Fee,  what's 
that  big  black  thing  on  the  grass,  on  the  top  of 
the  wall  of  the  fort?" 

"  That's  a  cannon." 

"  What  is  it  for  ?" 

"  Oh,  to  kill  bad  people  with." 

"  Gracious  !     Is  there  such  lots  of  bad  people 


IN  CHARGE  OF  EA CH  O THER.        35 

down  here  as  that  ?  Papa  said  the  place  was  so 
nice  and  safe." 

"  It  is  safe  enough,  dear,  for  us.  The  bad 
people  that  are  shot  with  cannons  come  here 
from  other  countries." 

il  When  do  they  come  ?"' 

"Oh,  don't  ask  me,''  said  Fenie,  who  was 
trying  to  keep  from  not  keeping  miserable,  but 
was  not  succeeding  very  well. 

"Who  shall  I  ask?" 

"  Oh,  one  of  the  soldiers,  I  suppose." 

Fenie  sat  upon  a  rock  which  formed  part  of  a 
little  breakwater,  looked  out  to  sea,  and  took  a 
pensive  attitude,  while  Trixy  stood  and  stared  at 
the  cannon,  and  wondered,  and  wished  she  knew 
more  about  the  killing  of  bad  people  by  artillery. 

Just  then  Lieutenant  Bruce  Jermyn,  of  the 
artillery  service,  came  from  the  flank  of  the 
water  battery  and  walked  toward  the  hotel.  He 
was  no  pink-faced,  slender  youth,  like  lieutenants 
in  most  military  novels,  but  a  handsome,  stout, 
manly- looking  fellow  of  about  thirty-five  years, 
like  hundreds  of  other  lieutenants  of  our  army 
in  time  of  peace.  Trixy  saw  him,  hurried  to 
him,  and  said  : 

"  Mr.  Soldier,  will  you  please  tell  me  when 
you're  going  to  kill  some  bad  people  with  the 
cannon  ?" 

"  Eh  ?''  said  Jermyn,  taking  his  cigar  from  his 
lips  and  raising  his  cap.  "  Oh,  not  until  they 
come  here  and  insist  upon  being  killed,  I  sup 
pose." 

"  Why  ?  Do  they  insist  upon  bein'  killed,  and 
come  here  to  have  you  do  it  for  them?" 


36  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

"  Um — er — well,  we  like  to  be  ready,  in  case 
they  should  come,  although  we  hope  they'll 
stay  away.  I  beg  your  pardon,  but  will  you 
tell  me  your  name  ?  You  look  very  like  some 
one  whom  I  used  to  know." 

"  My  name's  Trixy  Highwood,  and  that's 
Aunt  Fee,  sittin'  on  the  rocks  there,  and ' 

"  And  her  last  name  is  ? " 

"  Wardlow." 

"  Well,  well."  The  officer  did  not  sigh,  but 
he  looked  reminiscent ;  then  he  took  both  of 
Trixy's  hands,  looked  intently  into  the  child's 
face,  and  said : 

"  I  knew  your  mother  about  ten  years  ago." 

"  Oh,  Aunt  Fee."  shouted  Trixy.  "  Come 
here — quick  !  Here's  one  of  mamma's  friends." 

The  awakening  was  somewhat  rude,  but  when 
Fenie  turned  her  head  and  saw  an  officer  ap 
proaching,  with  Trixy,  she  at  once  became  a 
curious  yet  dignified  young  woman.  She  arose 
and  met  the  couple,  as  Jermyn  saluted  and  said: 

"  The  child  is  to  blame  for  this  interruption, 
Miss  Wardlow.  I  recognized  her  by  her  re 
semblance  to  her  mother,  whom  I  hope  you 
may  have  heard  speak  of  me.  My  name  is 
Jermyn.  My  battery  was  stationed  in  New  York 
Harbor  a  few  years  ago." 

"Indeed!"  exclaimed  Fenie,  in  pleased  sur 
prise.  She  had  heard  frequently  of  the  young 
officer  whom  Trif  had  admired  greatly,  before 
Phil  Highwood  had  laid  siege  to  her  heart. 
Phil,  too,  had  heard  much  about  him,  and  feared 
him.  as  any  civilian  suitor  fears  a  rival  who 
wears  a  military  uniform.  Fenia  had  often 


IN  CHARGE  OF  EACH  OTHER.        37 

wished  she  might  one  day  meet  the  man  of 
whom  she  had  heard  so  much,  and  now  she  was 
face  to  face  with  him,  and — really,  what  a  fine- 
looking  fellow  he  was ! 

"  What's  inside  of  them— the  cannons  ?"  asked 
Trixy. 

"  Nothing  more  dangerous  than  air,"  the  officer 
replied. 

"  Children  are  so  idiotically  curious,"  said 
Fenie. 

'•  Oh,  merely  naturally  so.  Mayn't  I  show  your 
niece  one  of  the  guns  ? — and  won't  you  accom 
pany  us?  'Tis  but  a  step  or  two  to  the  water 
battery.  By  the  way,  I  hope  that  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Highwood  are  here  ?  " 

"  My  sister  is,"  Fenie  replied.  "  We  came 
down  here  hastily — indeed,  we  are  on  our  way  to 
Florida,  for  their  dear  child's  health." 

"  I  must  do  myself  the  honor  of  calling  at 
once." 

"Won't  you  wait,"  said  Trixy  appealingly, 
"until  you  show  me  the  bad-people-killers?  " 

"  Surely,"  replied  Jermyn,  "  if  afterward  you 
will  guide  me  to  your  mother." 

The  visit  to  the  guns  was  prolonged  to  include 
a  tour  of  the  fort,  about  which  Fenie  was  wildly 
curious,  for  she  had  never  been  inside  of  a  fort,  as 
her  sister  had  in  the  days  to  which  Jermyn  had 
alluded,  and  she  and  Trif  were  such  inseparable 
companions  that  she  wished  to  know  of  every 
thing  that  Trif  knew.  Jermyn  proved  to  be 
capital  company ;  besides,  was  he  not  a  one-time 
admirer  of  Feme's  sister  ?  Fenie  felt  entirely  at 
ease  with  him,  and  she  was  delighted  with  the 


38  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

strangeness  of  everything  she  saw,  so  soon  she 
was  chatting  as  freely  and  cheerily  as  if  she  had 
never  known  a  trouble. 

Later  in  the  morning  Trif,  seated  on  the  piazza 
near  the  beach,  was  astonished  to  see  her  sister 
approaching  with  an  army  officer,  with  whom 
she  seemed  to  be  well  acquainted.  Soldiers 
looked  very  much  alike  to  Trif;  besides,  she  was 
so  delighted  at  the  sudden  improvement  in 
Fenie's  appearance  that  she  did  not  recognize 
Jermyn  until  her  sister,  with  a  roguish  look,  said: 

"Trif,  I'm  astonished!  Should  auld acquaint 
ance  be  forgot  ?  " 

"  Mrs.  High  wood!  " 

"Oh,  Mr.  Jermyn!" 

Neither  blushed,  although  Fenie  had  hoped 
they  would.  As  for  Trixy,  who  had  not  had  much 
opportunity  to  talk  during  the  walk  through  the 
fort,  she  looked  intently  at  her  invalid  charge, 
her  dear  Aunt  Fee.  The  instant  there  was  a  lull 
in  the  conversation,  Trixy  could  not  help  saying : 

"  Mamma,  seems  to  me  that  somethin's  made 
Aunt  Fee  look  awful  weller  all  at  once ;  don't 
you  think  so  ?  " 

Then  the  blushes,  for  which  Fenie  had  looked 
in  her  sister's  cheeks,  hurried  into  her  own,  and 
refused  to  depart. 


CHAPTER  V. 

A   SURPRISE. 

"  T_J  ERE'S  a  letter  for  you,  Harry,"  said  Kate 

ll  Trewman  one  morning  as  her  brother 
came  to  the  breakfast  table,  "  and  from  the  pen 
manship  of  the  address  I  should  imagine  it  to  be 
from  a  washerwoman  or  a  newsboy." 

Harry  looked  solemnly  at  the  address — he  had 
looked  solemnly  at  everything  for  several  days, 
but  when  he  saw  the  signature  he  started,  a  mo 
tion  which  did  not  escape  the  observant  eye  of 
his  sister,  who  exclaimed  : 

"  Do  tell  me  what  has  happened  !  You  look 
like  an  actor  in  a  play  with  a  great  letter-scene 
in  it." 

Harry  did  not  reply,  for  he  was  trying  to  read 
the  letter,  the  writer  of  which  could  read,  he 
knew,  but  seemed  not  to  have  learned  to  write, 
or  even  to  spell,  for  the  letter  ran  as  follows  : 

"  Dere  Mister  Trumen  :  I  wunt  to  git  yure  pik- 
cher  an  if  yu  giv  it  tu  me  yu  needunt  giv  me  that 
dolle  tho  I  want  the  dolle  lots  an  them  yure  sisiur 
wus  goin  to  gimme.  Plese  send  me  the  pikcher  rite 
away  cause  I'm  goin  a  travelen.  Youres  trule 

TRIXY  HIGHWOOD." 

"  Do  tell  me  what  it  is !  "  exclaimed  Kate. 
"  Tis   a  dead  secret — or  a  mystery,"   Harry 

139) 


40  TRIP  AXD   TYv'/AT. 

replied,  with  an  absent-minded  manner  and  a 
far-away  look.  Then  he  re-read  the  letter  and 
laughed,  at  which  Kate  said  : 

"  Thank  goodness  !  Evidently  it  isn't  a  tra 
gedy  ! " 

"  No,  although  there  may  be  some  elements  of 
a  drama  in  it." 

"  Do  let  me  see  the  letter." 

"  Not  now,  dear  girl.  It  is  on  a  matter  which 
I  think  should  be  regarded  as  strictly  confiden 
tial." 

Nevertheless  Kate  saw  the  letter  before  the 
day  was  done,  and  she  did  a  lot  of  thinking 
about  it.  Then  she  drew  her  brother  into  the 
parlor  and  said  abruptly: 

"  I  ve  thought  it  all  out.  Fenie  Wardlow 
hasn't  a  picture  of  you,  has  she  ?  " 

"Kate!"  exclaimed  Harry  severely.  "Do 
you  imagine  me  to  be  conceited  enough  to  pre 
sent  my  portrait  to  young  women  in  general  ? " 

"  Tut,  tut !  You  know  very  well  that  Fenie 
Wardlow  isn't  classed  in  your  mind  among  young 
women  in  general.  She's  the  one  and  particular 
woman  of  all  the  world,  to  you.  Answer  my 
question ;  has  she  your  picture  ? " 

"  No.     Now  are  you  satisfied  ?  " 

"  Not  entirely.  Still,  I'm  sure  she  wants  it 
That  child  never  wrote  you  of  her  own  accord, 
to  ask  for  your  picture." 

"  Kate  !  Will  you  kindly  remember  that  Miss 
Wardlow  is  a  lady?  I'm  surprised  that  you 
should  make  such  an  insinuation." 

"  I've  insinuated  nothing,  but  there  is  some 
thing  behind  Trixy's  letter.  She's  a  very  long- 


A  SURPRISE.  41 

headed  child,  and  the  family  adores  her,  and  she 
is  always  with  Trif  and  Fenie,  and  hears  every 
thing  they  say,  so " 

"  Do  you  really  think  that  Miss  Wardlow  her 
self  wanted  a  picture  of  me  ?"  interrupted  Harry. 

"  That  is  exactly  what  I  do  think.  Oh, 
Harry!  I  didn't  suppose  a  man  could  blush  so 
splendidly !  There,  there— don't  be  ashamed  of 
it ;  'tis  wonderfully  becoming,  and " 

Kate  was  an  affectionate  sister,  so  she  stopped 
long  enough  to  throw  her  arms  about  her  brother 
and  kiss  him  soundly.  Then  she  continued: 

"  Send  a  picture  to  the  child  at  once — and  do 
send  that  doll  also.  I'd  send  with  it  the  lot  that 
I  promised,  if  I  wasn't  afraid  that  the  family 
would  ask  questions,  and  I  would  be  dreadfully 
mortified  if  they  were  to  learn  that  I  questioned 
Trixy  closely  on  a  certain  subject  several  days 
ago.  I  wish  I  knew  what  the  child  means  by  say 
ing  that  she's  going  travelling.  I  wonder  if — oh, 
well,  I'll  make  some  calls  elsewhere,  and  find 
out  all  about  it." 

Meanwhile  Trif,  Trixy  and  Fenie  were  post 
poning  their  further  journeying  southward.  Old 
Point  Comfort  is  a  hard  place  to  leave;  one 
finds  old  friends,  learns  that  new  ones  are  com 
ing:  so  the  days  slip  by  delightfully.  The  air 
seemed  to  be  doing  wonders  for  both  Fenie  and 
Trixy,  and  Trif  was  enjoying  herself  as  a  clever 
young  woman  always  can  where  good  company 
abounds,  and  she  can  give  her  entire  time  to  it. 
Besides,  Lieutenant  Jermyn  assured  her  that  the 
season  was  so  far  advanced  that  she  would  find 
Florida  uncomfortably  hot. 


42  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

Jermyn  had  also  put  Trif  entirely  at  ease  by 
not  showing  a  bit  of  sentimentality  over  the 
woman  he  had  loved  and  lost.  He  was  so  en 
tirely  himself  in  her  presence  that  she  imagined 
him  happily  married,  although  she  did  not  like 
to  question  him  on  the  subject.  He  was  quite 
attentive  to  Fenie,  too,  and  made  haste  to  intro 
duce  several  brother  officers,  who  made  them 
selves  interesting,  so  Fenie  seldom  was  without 
the  attendance  of  some  man  in  uniform.  Her 
admirers  were  not  all  young,  either,  for  admira 
tion  of  womanhood  appears  to  be  one  of  the 
original  elements  of  the  military  nature,  so  sev 
eral  elderly  officers  frequently  sought  the  society 
of  Fenie  and  her  sister,  and  as  Fenie  was  the 
younger,  and  unmarried,  she  innocently  took  all 
the  admiration  to  herself.  Finally,  when  a  re 
tired  admiral,  himself  as  young  at  heart  and 
engaging  in  conversation  as  any  of  his  juniors, 
paid  special  attention  to  Fenie,  that  young  woman 
became  so  exuberant  of  cheerfulness  that  she 
read  herself  a  severe  lecture,  almost  at  midnight, 
when  there  was  no  one  else  for  her  to  talk  to. 

How  dreadfully  she  was  neglecting  Trixy,  too ! 
She  had  promised  to  watch  the  child  carefully, 
yet  Trixy  ran  at  will  upon  the  beach,  and  buried 
herself  in  sand,  and  several  times  a  day  she  ven 
tured  close  enough  to  the  water  to  wet  her  feet, 
and  Fenie  was  always  going  to  keep  her  from 
doing  so  again,  but  Trif  was  the  only  one  who 
did  it.  Fenie  told  herself  that  she  was  becoming 
a  dreadfully  selfish  girl,  but  really  she  never 
seemed  to  find  time  to  do  anything  that  ought  to 
be  done. 


A  SURPRISE.  43 

Trixy  did  such  dreadful  things,  too.  She 
had  learned  the  names  of  all  the  colored 
men  who  brought  sail-boats  to  the  hotel  pier 
when  the  water  was  smooth  and  the  breeze 
gentle.  She  seemed  fascinated  by  the  pictur 
esque  raggedness  of  the  few  colored  people  who 
lounged  in  the  single  street  of  the  little  village. 
She  had  no  hesitation  about  introducing  herself 
to  any  one  who  spoke  to  Trif  or  Fenie,  she 
talked  almost  as  much  as  if  she  were  at  home; 
and  what  mightn't  she  say  if  the  impulse  came 
to  her  ?  Trif  was  begged  to  caution  the  child, 
that  there  was  nothing  to  tell ;  then  to  make 
assurance  doubly  sure,  Fenie  herself  cautioned 
her. 

'•  I  don't  tell  nobody  nothin',  Aunt  Fee,"  pro 
tested  Trixy.  "  Really  and  truly,  I  don't.  I 
only  told  Lieutenant  Jermyn  and  a  lot  of  them 
that  you  was  awful  sick,  and  that  was  why  we 
came  down  here." 

"I  sick?  You  dreadful  child!  Don't  you 
know  that  it  was  on  account  of  your  own  bad 
health  that  we  came  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Aunt  Fee  !  You're  awful  mistaken — 
indeed  you  are.  You  must  have  got  us  mixed 
up  some  way,  'cause  papa  and  mamma  said  'twas 
you  that  was  sick.  I  just  came  along  to  take 
care  of  you,  and  I've  been  doin'  it  with  all  my 
might." 

"Indeed!  And  what  was  the  matter  with 
me,  I  wonder? " 

"  Why — y — y  !  "  exclaimed  the  child,  opening 
her  eyes  very  wide.  "  Do  you  forget  things  as 
easy  as  that  ?  Mamma  said  you'd  go  crazy  if 


44  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

you  didn't  stop  thinkin'  about  Harry  Trewman, 
and  papa  said  the  best  medicine  for  you  would 
be  a  trip  off  to  somewhere — the  best,  except 
one  thing." 

"  Except  what  thing  ?  " 

"  Oh,  nothin.' " 

"  Don't  say  that.     Tell  me  the  truth  at  once." 

"  I  can't,  else  I'll  spoil  a  s'prise." 

"  What  surprise  ?  " 

"  I  mustn't  tell,  else  there  won't  be  no  s'prise.'' 

"  Oh,  Trixy !  Surprises  are  such  stupid 
things  !  People  usually  find  out  all  about  them 
before  they  occur." 

"  Nobody'll  find  out  this  one,  I  guess,  unless 
Harry— say,  Aunt  Fee,  whereabouts  is  the  post- 
office  here  ? " 

"  All  letters  come  to  the  hotel.  What  were 
you  going  to  say  about  Harry?  Harry  who?" 

"  Why,  don't  you  know  ?  Then  I  can't  tell, 
'cause  that's  part  of  the  s'prise." 

"  Trixy,  tell  me  this  instant !  " 

Trixy  looked  troubled  for  a  moment;  then 
she  dashed  out  of  the  room,  and  Fenie,  who  had 
been  dressing  while  she  talked,  could  not  fol 
low.  Trixy  found  her  mother,  who  handed 
her  a  letter  of  such  size  that  the  retired  Ad 
miral,  who  was  chatting  with  Trif,  remarked : 

"  How  large  a  letter  for  so  small  a  lady  to  re 
ceive.  I  hope,  Miss  Trixy,  that  you  haven't  a 
love  affair  on  your  mind  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed,  sir.  Other  folk's  love  affairs  are 
enough  for  me  to  attend  to."  Then  the  child 
slipped  away,  while  Trif  continued  to  wonder 
from  whom  had  come  the  letter  which  Phil  had 


A  SURPRISE.  45 

forwarded,  and  which  appeared  to  contain  a 
large  photograph. 

Trixy  retired  to  the  hotel,  opened  her  letter, 
and  found,  as  she  had  expected,  a  picture  of 
Harry  Trewman.  There  was  some  writing  on 
the  back  of  the  card,  and  Trixy  wished  she 
knew  what  it  was,  but  all  chirography  was  as 
undecipherable  to  her  as  Hebrew ;  her  own  let 
ters  were  written  in  imitation  of  print.  She 
roamed  about  the  corridors  in  search  of  some 
acquaintance  whose  education  was  broader  than 
her  own,  and  finally  she  chanced  upon  Lieuten 
ant  Jermyn,  who  had  been  visiting  an  invalid 
friend. 

"  Say,  Mr.  Jermyn,  you  can  read  writin',  can't 
you  ?  " 

"  Sometimes,  Trixy,  sometimes." 

"Then  won't  you  tell  me  what's  on  the  back 
of  this  picture  ?  " 

Jermyn  read  aloud :  "  My  dear  little  girl,  I  am 
very  fond  of  you,  and  I  shall  be  glad  to  have 
you  carry  my  picture  on  your  journey  with  you, 
so  that  I  may  be  brought  to  your  mind  once  in 
a  while.  Yours  sincerely,  HARRY  TREWMAN." 

"Oh,  I'm  so  glad  he  sent  it!"  exclaimed 
Trixy.  Jermyn  smiled  and  replied  : 

"  Upon  my  word,  Miss  Trixy,  you're  begin 
ning  quite  early  to  be  interested  in  young  men." 

'•  You're  the  second  person  who's  made  that 
mistake,"  Trixy  replied.  "  The  picture  isn't  for 
me ;  it's  for  Aunt  Fee." 

"  Indeed  !  "  Jermyn  looked  grave  a  mo 
ment  or  two  before  he  continued,  "  Wouldn't  it 
be  better,  then,  for  you  not  to  show  it  to  people 
in  general?  " 


46  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"Oh,  I'm  not  going  to.  I  only  wanted  to 
know  what  the  writin'  was  about." 

"  Suppose  you  put  it  into  the  envelope,"  sug 
gested  Jermyn,  "  and  take  it  to  your  aunt's 
room." 

"Just  what  I  was  goin'  to  do,"  said  Trixy. 
"  Isn't  it  funny  that  both  of  us  thought  of  the 
same  thing?  " 

Jermyn  admitted  that  it  was,  although  he  was 
oppressively  silent  as  he  walked  through  the 
hall — he  who  had  always  told  Trixy  some  funny 
story  when  he  met  her. 

Fenie  had  learned  to  like  Jermyn  greatly  dur 
ing  their  short  acquaintance,  but  on  the  evening 
that  followed  the  picture  incident  he  surpassed 
himself  in  deference,  humor  and  brilliancy.  Fe 
nie  did  not  wonder  that  Trif  had  always  remem 
bered  him  pleasantly.  She  did  wish  he  was  not 
quite  so  old ;  a  man  of  thirty -five  seems  dread 
fully  ancient  to  a  girl  of  twenty.  Still,  soldiers 
were  splendid  anyway.  Of  course,  he  did  not 
care  particularly  for  her,  for  he  had  never  seen 
her  until  that  week,  but  there  was  something  in 
his  voice  and  manner  on  this  particular  evening 
that  affected  her  strangely.  Could  it  be  that  he 
was  falling  in  love  with  her  ?  If  so,  she — she 
really  ought  to  feel  sorry. 

But  was  she ?  She  could  scarcely  believe  so; 
she  would  examine  her  mind  seriously  when  the 
evening  ended;  perhaps  she  would  speak  to 
Trif  about  it.  There  was  nothing  between  her 
and  Harry  Trewman — she  could  honestly  say 
that,  and  perhaps — perhaps  she  had  acted  very 
foolishly  about  that  young  man.  Harry  was  a 


A  SURPRISE.  47 

fine  fellow,  as  young  men  go,  but  how  plain  he 
appeared,  to  her  mind's  eye,  beside  the  hand 
some  soldier  who  scarcely  left  her  side  that 
evening ! 

By  the  time  the  evening  ended  the  young 
woman  had  a  head  full  of  pleasing  fancies 
marred  only  by  a  weak  compunction  of  con 
science.  She  sat  in  Trif's  room  a  few  minutes, 
chatting  with  her  sister  about  people  whom 
they  had  met  during  the  day,  and  admiring 
Trixy,  who  was  always  a  charming  picture  when 
asleep.  Then  she  passed  into  her  own  room; 
in  a  moment  Trif  heard  a  sharp  exclamation, 
and  Fenie  stood  in  the  doorway  between  the 
rooms,  gasping : 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  ?" 

"  Of  what  ?  Oh,  my  sister,  you're  looking 
like  a  ghost !" 

"  I  feel  as  if  I  had  seen  one.  Why  did  you 
do  it  ?  What  have  I  done  to " 

"Tryphena  Wardlow,  what  are  you  talking 
about?"  asked  Trif,  approaching  the  girl.  "  Do 
say  something  intelligible,  if  you  can,  and  stop 
acting." 

For  answer,  Fenie  took  her  sister's  hand  and 
led  the  way  to  the  mirror,  between  the  glass  and 
frame  of  which  was  a  photograph  of  Harry 
Trewman. 

"  In  the  name  of  all  that's  mysterious,"  ex 
claimed  Trif,  "  where  did  it  come  from  ?" 

"Where,  indeed!  Didn't  you  place  it  there, 
to— to " 

"  I  give  you  my  word  that  I  never  saw  it,  or 
knew  of  its  existence,  until  this  instant." 


48  TRIP  AND   TRTXY. 

"  Oh,  this  is  dreadful,"  exclaimed  Fenie,  sink 
ing  into  a  chair.  "  There's  some  mystery  about 
it.  Who  can  be  here  who  knows  anything 
about — about  what  had  happened  ?  Who  has 
been  able  to  get  into  our  room  without  our 
knowledge  ?  I  shan't  dare  to  fall  asleep.  I 
shan't " 

"  Do  stop  being  dramatic,  Fee,  and  try  to  be 
sensible.  The  picture  didn't  sneak  in  through 
the  keyhole,  nor  did  invisible  hands  bring  it, 
although  I  confess  that  for  the  moment  I'm 
mystified.  Oh,  I  have  it !  Mark  my  words, 
Trixy  knows  something  about  that  picture." 

In  an  instant  Fenie  was  in  the  adjoining 
room  and  shaking  Trixy.  The  child  was  sleep 
ing  as  soundly  as  ocean  air  and  the  lullaby  of 
gentle  surf  can  make  children  sleep,  but  Fenie 
persevered. 

"Picture? — in  your  lookin'  glass?"  the  child 
drawled.  "  Oh,  yes ;  I  put  it  there.  That  was 
the  s'prise — that  I  wouldn't — tell  you  all  about. 
Did  it  s'prise  you — lots?" 

"  Yes — yes.     But  how  did  you  get  it  ?" 

Trixy  was  falling  asleep  again,  and  her  mother 
insisted  that  further  explanation  should  be  de 
ferred  until  morning.  As  Fenie  took  the  picture 
from  the  mirror  she  saw  the  inscription  and 
read  it.  Then  Bruce  Jermyn  went  out  of  her 
mind  and  a  joyous  feeling  took  his  place. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ALL  BY   CHANCE. 

"I'VE  found  out  all  about  them,''  said  Kate 
1  Trewman  to  her  brother,  a  day  or  two  after 
Trif,  Trixy  and  Fenie  had  gone  South.  "  They've 
gone  to  Florida,  for  Trixy's  health.'' 

"  Who  have  gone  to  Florida?"  asked  Harry, 
trying  to  appear  indifferent. 

"  Whom  do  you  suppose  I  mean  ?  Mrs.  High- 
wood,  and  Trixy,  and  Fenie.  That  child  is  the 
apple  of  their  eye.  Still,  I'm  inclined  to  think 
that  Fenie  herself  wanted  to  get  away  for  a 
while.  I'm  sure  if  I'd  been  in  her  place  I'd 
have  wanted  to,  had  I  known  that  certain  other 
people  knew  certain  things." 

"  What  people  ?    What  things  ?  ' ' 

"  Oh,  don't  be  silly." 

"Well,  my  dear,  I've  been  thinking  of  going 
South  myself — oh,  no;  not  to  Florida.  Our  firm 
have  a  little  business  at  Norfolk  that  requires 
personal  attention,  and  they  want  me  to  attend 
to  it.  Don't  you  want  to  go  with  me  ?  Old 
Point  Comfort  is  within  an  hour's  sail  of  Nor 
folk,  and  our  friends,  the  Braymans,  went  down 
there  yesterday,  to  remain  a  week,  and  there's  a 
big  fort  there,  full  of  officers,  who  are  said  to 
4  (49) 


50  TRIP  AND    TRIXY. 

work  harder  and  enjoy  their  leisure  better  than 
any  other  men  in  the  United  States." 

"  We  go,"  said  Kate,  and  go  they  did,  the  very 
next  day. 

Meanwhile,  in  entire  ignorance  of  what  some 
of  their  acquaintances  were  doing,  Trif  and 
Fenie  found  some  small  shopping  necessary :  the 
nearest  shopping  centre  to  Old  Point  was  Nor 
folk.  So  one  morning  to  Norfolk  they  went, 
taking  Trixy  with  them. 

Grown  people's  shopping  is  very  tiresome 
business  to  little  people,  so  Trixy  became  so 
uncomfortable  that  she  begged  to  be  allowed  to 
rest  by  standing  upon  the  sidewalk  and  looking 
at  the  passers-by,  and  Trif  permitted  it,  stipu 
lating  that  the  child  should  not  go  further  from 
the  store  than  the  street  at  either  side. 

The  child  soon  found  herself  having  a  delight 
ful  time,  and  storing  her  mental  picture  book 
with  unfamiliar  scenes,  when  suddenly  she 
shouted,  "  Hooray  !  " 

Then  she  dashed  across  the  street,  and  with 
one  hand  pulled  the  frock  of  Kate  Trewman, 
while  with  the  other  she  grasped  Harry's  sleeve. 

"Trixy  Highwood !  Did  you  drop  down 
from  the  sky  ?  " 

"  I  s'poae  I  did,"  said  Trixy,  after  a  moment 
of  thought,  "  but  that  was  seven  years  ago. 
To-day,  though,  I  dropped  over  here  from  Old 
Point  Comfort." 

"  But  how  do  you  come  to  be  roaming  the 
streets  of  Norfolk  ?  "  asked  Kate. 

"  I  ain't  roamin'.  I  can't  go  off  of  this  block, 
'cause  mamma  and  Aunt  Fee  are  in  the  store 
there,  buyin'  things." 


ALL  BY  CHA NCE.  5 1 

"  But  we  thought  you'd  gone  to  Florida  ?  " 

"  Oh,  we're  goin'  there  one  of  these  days,  I 
s'pose,  'cause  that's  where  we  started  for ;  but 
mamma  says  it's  hard  to  get  away  from  Old 
Point,  because  she  keeps  findin'  old  friends 
there." 

"  Does  Fenie  find  any  ? "  discreetly  asked 
Kate. 

"  She  doesn't  need  to,"  was  the  reply,  "  for  she 
keeps  findin'  new  ones  all  the  time.  Say,  army 
officers  is  real  nice ;  don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

"So  I've  always  heard,''  said  Kate,  while 
Harry  looked  so  unhappy  that  his  sister  pinched 
him  until  he  complained.  Just  then  Trif  came 
out  of  the  shop,  wondering  whether  Trixy  did 
not  need  looking  after  ;  but  she  lost  none  of  her 
self-possession  when  she  found  herself  face  to 
face  with  the  Trewmans.  Within  five  minutes 
Trif  had  made  the  Trewmans  promise  to  run 
over  to  Old  Point  before  they  returned  to  New 
Ycrk.  She  begged  them,  also,  to  return  with 
her  to  the  shop,  and  surprise  Fenie,  but  Harry 
pleaded  extreme  haste — a  matter  of  business, 
he  said. 

"Still,"'  said  Kate,  "we  may  yet  surprise  her 
if  you  won't  allude  to  us  until  you  meet  us  at 
Old  Point." 

"  That  will  be  splendid,"  exclaimed  Trif,  with 
glowing  cheeks ;  for  she  was  thinking  over  the 
scene  with  Harry's  picture. 

"  Harry,"  said  Kate,  as  soon  as  the  party 
separated,  "  you've  no  reason  to  worry." 

"  No  reason  !  "  echoed  the  young  man.  "  I 
think  I've  a  lot  of  them.  Don't  you  remember 
what  Trixy  said  about  army  officers  ?  " 


52  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  Oh,  to  be  sure  !  "  Then  Kate  lapsed  into 
silence. 

"  Trixy,  dear,"  said  Trif,  before  re-entering 
the  shop,  "  I  want  you  now  to  be  very,  very 
womanly.  You  mustn't  say  a  word  to  Aunt  Fee 
about  the  people  we've  just  met." 

"  I  understand,  mamma  dear.  Say,  when's 
Mr.  Trewman  and  Aunt  Fee  goin'  to  be  mar 
ried  ?  " 

"  Sh — h — h  !  Perhaps  never.  Who  put  such 
an  idea  into  your  mind  ?  " 

"Why,  Bridget  did— our  servant,  at  home; 
but  I  thought  of  it  before,  'cause  they  act  just 
like  the  folks  in  the  stories  that  you  and  Aunt 
Fee  read  out  loud  to  each  other  sometimes." 

Trif  looked  despairing — almost  desperate. 
Her  cautions  must  be  intensified,  so  she  con 
tinued. 

"  Remember,  dear !  Don't  say  a  word  about 
the  Trewmans  to  Aunt  Fee  when  we  return  to 
the  shop.  Don't  mention  them  on  the  boat  on 
the  way  back.  Don't  mention  them  in  the 
hotel.  Don't " 

"Oh,  mamma!"  interrupted  Trixy.  "What 
an  awful  lot  of  dont's  !  I  wish  I  didn't  ever  see 
anythin',  or  hear  anythin',  or  know  anythin'." 

"  Poor,  dear  little  girl,"  said  Trif  caressingly. 
"Grown  people  sometimes  have  'dont's,'  and 
have  a  lot  of  trouble  with  them,  too." 

"Is  that  so?"  the  child  asked.  "Do  you 
eTer  have  to  put  cotton  in  your  ears,  or  bite 
your  tongue  ? " 

"  You  afflicted  darling,"  exclaimed  Trif,  her 
maternal  instinct  fully  aroused.  Was  her 


ALL  BY  CHANCE.  53 

precious  darling  to  be  physically  afflicted 
through  affairs  in  which  she  had  no  part  ? — 
surfer  for  other  people's  affairs,  for  which  she 
was  not  in  any  way  responsible  ?  No,  indeed. 
She  would  give  Fenie  a  lecture,  and  at  once, 
which  would  do  that  young  woman  much  good 
and  save  an  innocent  little  girl  from  further 
torment.  Fenie  should  learn  to  hold  her  own 
tongue  ;  it  was  she  who  did  most  of  the  talking 
which  poor  little  Trixy  was  obliged  to  hear — 
how  could  the  child  help  hearing  it  ?  Sisterly 
affection  was  quite  right ;  Trif  had  long  tried  to 
be  sister  and  mother  too  to  her  pretty,  darling 
sister,  but  should  a  child  suffer  for  an  adult, — 
the  weak  for  the  strong  ?  Not  while  the  weak, 
the  child,  was  Trif  s  own,  only  daughter.  Trixy 
should  have  no  more  trouble  about  the  affairs 
of  other  people. 

Full  of  this  determination,  Trif  returned  to 
the  shop  with  an  air  so  resolute  and  aggressive 
that  the  clerks  shrank  in  terror  and  wondered 
what  complaint  was  about  to  be  made.  She 
strode  like  a  pictured  goddess  to  where  Fenie 
was  idly  wondering  which  of  two  patterns  of 
insertion  to  buy  ;  she  turned  her  sister  toward 
her  and  exclaimed,  softly  yet  tragically  : 

"  Tryphena,  I  must  ask  you  to  keep  your 
affairs  to  yourself  hereafter,  except  at  such  times 
as  you  and  I  are  alone  together.  This  poor 
child  mustn't  be  tormented  with  them  any 
longer.  She " 

"  Yes,"  said  Trixy,  "  I've  got  to  bite  my 
tongue  a  lot  more  now,  'cause  I  just  saw — oh, 
mamma,  please  don't  pinch  me  so  hard !" 


54  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

"  What  did  you  see,  Trixy  ?"  asked  Fenie. 

"  That  piece  of  insertion  you  have  in  your 
hand — "  said  Trif  quickly.  "  Trixy,  dear,  go 
back  to  the  door,  if  you  like — that  piece  of  inser 
tion,  as  I  was  saying,  is  just  what  I  would 
get  if  I  were  you,  for — "  and  the  remaining 
conversation  was  closely  restricted  to  garments, 
although  Fenie  looked  somewhat  indignant  and 
curious. 

The  evening  chanced  to  be  one  of  the  most 
delightful  that  had  ever  blessed  Old  Point.  The 
sky  was  clear,  the  air  warm  yet  invigorating; 
the  music  was  of  the  best,  the  guests  were  in 
the  best  of  humor  with  one  another,  and  every 
thing  went  as  merrily  as  the  traditional  mar 
riage  bell. 

Best  of  all,  to  one  small  person.  Trixy  had 
received  permission  to  remain  with  the  older 
people  until  nine  o'clock,  for  she  had  complained 
that  the  nine  o'clock  gun  at  the  fort  always  woke 
her,  and  Trif  thought  it  a  shame  that  the  dear 
child  had  to  be  roused  from  sleep  in  a  strange 
place,  where  she  was  alone,  and  Fenie  said  she 
was  quite  willing  to  sit  beside  Trixy's  bed  until 
the  dear  child  fell  asleep,  and  Trif  did  not  dare 
to  admit  that  her  one  consuming  desire  was 
that  Fenie  and  Trixy  should  not  be  alone 
together  a  single  instant  until 

So  Trixy  remained  up  and  awake,  and  Trif 
had  no  more  thought  of  it  than  if  she  had  been 
an  inhabitant  of  another  planet  and  without  any 
right  or  title  to  a  little  girl  who  sat  or  stood  near 
her  all  the  while,  as  mute  as  a  mouse,  and  also 
as  observant.  Bless  congenial  company  !  What 


ALL  BY  CHANCE.  55 

wonders  has  it  not  wrought  for  tired  men  and 
women  ?  Trif  had  not  imagined  herself  tired 
when  she  started  for  the  South,  but  woman's 
work  is  never  done  while  woman  is  at  home. 
So  when  she  finds  herself  so  far  from  it  that 
she  cannot  by  any  possibility  attend  to  it,  yet 
can  drop  it  from  her  mind,  how  she  does 
enjoy  the  chat  of  other  good  women  similarly 
situated  ! 

As  to  Fenie,  she  was  the  centre  of  a  little  group 
cf  officers  from  the  fort.  Her  sister  was  with 
her,  and,  although  to  some  of  the  party  the  older 
sister  was  the  more  interesting  of  the  two,  she 
who  was  the  younger  and  unmarried,  assumed 
all  the  admiration  was  as  entirely  for  her  as  if 
there  were  no  other  women  at  Old  Point.  Those 
officers  did  say  such  clever  and  delightful  things! 
As  to  that,  so  did  two  or  three  civilians  who  joined 
the  party,  but  there  was  something  about  a  uni 
form  that — oh,  Fenie  couldn't  explain  it,  but 
she  was  sure  that  any  other  girl  in  similar  cir 
cumstances  would  understand  exactly  what  she 
meant. 

Besides,  was  there  not  in  the  edge  of  the  mir 
ror  the  photograph  of  a  man  to  whom  her  heart 
was  entirely  loyal,  although  no  allegiance  had 
ever  been  demanded  ?  Others  might  be  men, 
but  he — he  was  Marry  Trewman,  the  only  man 
she  had  ever — no,  not  the  only  man  she  had 
ever  loved,  for  she  could  not  truly  say,  as  yet, 
that  she  really  loved  Harry. 

Just  as  some  one  had  told  a  very  amusing 
story,  and  Fenie  had  laughed  heartily  at  it,  and 
begun  to  tell  a  story  of  which  the  first  had  re 
minded  her,  she  stopped  and  turned  pale.  Her 


56  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

sister  wondered  what  was  the  matter,  and  soon 
learned,  for,  through  the  parlor,  on  the  way  to 
one  of  the  corridors,  and  preceded  by  a  porter 
with  bags  and  wraps,  came  Harry  Trewman  and 
Kate.  Fenie  moved  from  the  circle — moved  as 
if  she  were  in  a  dream.  She  extended  her  hand 
to  Harry,  who  took  it  gravely,  respectfully,  for  a 
fraction  of  a  second,  and  then  hurried  after  his 
sable  guide.  Fenie  dropped  back  to  her  chair, 
resumed  the  story  she  had  been  telling,  and  com 
pleted  it  with  such  a  mass  of  detail  that,  when 
finally  the  party  broke  up,  one  of  the  junior  offi 
cers  told  a  comrade  that  Miss  Wardlow  had 
evidently  met  her  fate,  and  met  him  that  very 
evening,  too. 

It  was  Fenie  who  broke  up  the  party,  for  she 
was  sure  Trixy  ought  to  be  in  bed — was  it  not 
after  ten  o'clock  ?  No,  indeed ;  Trif  should  not 
take  the  child  to  the  room;  hadn't  she  herself 
promised  to  look  carefully  after  the  dear  little 
invalid  ? 

Nevertheless,  Trif  herself  was  in  the  room 
within  a  few  minutes.  She  found  Trixy  in  bed, 
and  Fenie  kneeling  beside  her,  and  Trixy  was 
talking,  and  Trif  did  not  like  to  interrupt,  because 
sometimes  Trixy  said  things  so  odd  that  her 
mother  liked  to  hear  without  seeming  to  notice. 

"  Trixy,  Trixy,"  Fenie  had  just  said.  "  It  is 
very  late,  and  you  must  be  very  sleepy.  Don't 
you  think  you  can  drop  off  now  ? " 

"I  —  s'pose  so,"  the  child  drawled, "  but  there 
was  somethin'  I  wanted  to  ask  you.  Let  me 
see ;  what  was  it  ?  Oh  !  "  and  Trixy  sprang  up 
and  suddenly  became  very  wide  awake.  "  Say, 
Aunt  Fee,  did  lookin'  at  him  make  you  well  ?  " 


ALL  BY  CHANCE.  57 

"  Looking  at  whom,  Trixy  ?  I'm  not  ill,  child  ?" 

"  Why,  papa  said  a  look  at  Harry  Trevvman's 
face  was  the  best  medicine  you  could  have." 

Fenie  burst  into  tears,  upon  which  Trif  hur 
ried  to  her,  but  Fenie  continued  to  weep,  and 
for  so  long  that  Trif  wept  too,  after  which  Trixy 
sobbed  pitifully. 

"  Papa  said  it,  and  she's  had  the  look,  and  it 
ain't  done  her  no  good,  for  she's  cryin'  like  ev'ry- 
thin',  and  I  worked  so  hard  to  give  it  to  her,  and 
gave  up  a  dolly  to  get  it,  and  then  he  came  him 
self,  and  that  made  her  cry  more  than  ever." 

"  Oh,  Trif,"  exclaimed  Fenie.  "  He  met  me 
so  coldly — and  after  what  he  wrote  on  his  pic 
ture,  too  !  Do  you  suppose  he  was  jealous  of  the 
company  he  saw  me  in  ?  " 

"  Did  Harry  write  you  somethin'  on  a  picture, 
Aunt  Fee  ?  "  asked  Trixy. 

"  Yes,  he — ;  but  you  mustn't  ask  questions 
about  things  that  don't  concern  you,  Trixy." 

"  Oh,  I  won't,  but  I  just  wanted  to  know " 

"  But  you  mustn't  want  to  know  what " 

"  But " 

"  Sh — h —  ! "  Don't  ever  mention  the  subject 
to  me  again.  Promise  me,  this  instant  !  " 

"  Sister,"  protested  Trif,  "  you  don't  yet  know 
how  that  picture  came  to  you." 

'•  I  don  t  want  to  know  anything  about  the  pic 
ture,  or  him,  or  about " 

"  Then  I  shan't  tell  you,  or  ask  you,  or  any- 
thin',"  said  Trixy,  with  a  sob  that  would  have 
softened  any  heart  but  that  of  a  young  woman 
who  thought  she  had  been  treated  coldly  by  the 
man  whom  she  thought  she  might  learn  to  love. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MORE   REVELATION'S. 

WHEN   Harry  Trewman  reached  his  room 
he  dropped  into  a  chair  and  a  very  dis 
mal  frame  of  mind,  which  his  face  reflected,  for 
when  his  sister  looked  in  upon  him  a  few  min 
utes  later  she  said : 

"  Why,  brother  !  What  is  the  matter  with 
you  ?  From  your  melancholy  appearance  one 
would  suppose  you  hadn't  just  reached  Old 
Point  and  its  chief  attraction." 

"Attraction,  indeed,"  moaned  Harry.  "  I  sus 
pect  I  am  a  fool,  for  it  never  before  occurred  to 
me  that  a  young  woman  whom  I  think  the  sum 
total  of  everything  good  and  charming,  might 
appear  equally  attractive  to  other  men.  Did 
you  see  the  crowd  about  her?  -the  uniforms  and 
buttons? — and  how  she  seemed  to  be  enjoying 
herself?  Still,  she  has  the  right  to  do  entirely 
as  she  likes ;  I've  no  claim  upon  her." 

"  My  dear  Harry,"  said  Kate  tenderly,  as  she 
seated  herself  on  the  arm  of  Harry's  easy  chair, 
"don't  be  foolish.  Do  you  suppose  that  a  girl 
is  going  to  lose  interest  in  everything  and  every 
body  in  the  world  because  she  likes  a  certain 
young  man,  or  because  a  certain  young  man 
likes  her  ?  " 

(53) 


MORE  REVELATIONS.  59 

"  No.  But  she  seemed  to  be  enjoying  herself 
so  hugely.  I  never  saw  her  so  radiant." 

"  But  why  shouldn't  she  have  enjoyed  herself? 
I'm  sure  that  I'd  have  done  the  same  had  I  been 
in  her  place.  I  envy  her  the  chance  of  talking 
with  a  lot  of  clever  men.  Do  you  think  I  would 
refuse  it  even  if  I  were  deeply  in  love  with  some 


one 


"  No,  I  suppose  not ;  but  that  would  be  dif 
ferent." 

"  How  ?  " 

"  Oh,  you're  a  very  decided  young  woman, 
with  opinions  of  your  own,  while " 

"  Every  woman  should  be  as  you  say  I  am 
if  she  would  have  men  respect  her.  But,  Harry, 
what  fine  fellows  those  soldiers  are  !  They  look 
as  if  they  had  minds  of  their  own,  and  if  there's 
anything  that  a  woman  specially  likes  in  a  man, 
it  is  that." 

"  Umph  !  I  suppose  you  mean  that  young 
men  who  aren't  soldiers  haven't  minds  of  their 
own — eh  ?  " 

"  Harry,  I  think  your  own  mind  needs  addi 
tional  strength  at  once,  which  it  may  get  from 
sleep.  Go  to  bed.  Good  night.  Sleep  well." 

Kate  herself  remained  awake  a  long  time, 
thinking  about  her  brother's  prospects,  for  she 
had  been  half  in  love  several  times,  and  been 
rescued  by  the  discovery  that  some  other  man 
who  seemed  to  admire  her  was  more  interesting 
than  the  man  she  thought  herself  specially  fond 
of.  She  loved  her  brother  dearly,  but  Harry 
was  still  young  and  boyish — none  too  much  so, 
to  be  sure,  for  Fenie  Wardlow,  but  how  much 


60  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

more  interesting  those  officers  were  !  Her  knowl 
edge  of  them  had  been  obtained  during  the 
several  minutes  in  which  she  had  sat  at  one  end 
of  the  great  parlor  while  Harry  had  been  regis 
tering  their  names  at  the  office  and  arranging 
for  rooms,  but  she  was  a  young  woman  who 
reached  conclusions  rapidly. 

Like  most  other  people  who  lie  awake  late  to 
think,  Kate  awoke  early.  She  peeped  through 
the  window  blinds,  inhaled  the  fresh  air,  and 
wished  herself  out  of  doors.  Dressing  quickly 
she  went  upon  the  verandah.  The  sky  was  clear, 
the  air  balmy,  and  the  surf  rippling  brilliantly 
and  murmurously  on  the  beach.  Kate  noted  all 
this  and  keenly  enjoyed  it.  Then  she  chanced 
to  see,  on  the  higher  and  drier  sands,  almost  at 
her  feet,  a  large  straw  hat  under  which  was  a 
small  frock,  two  little  hands  and  a  shovel.  The 
little  figure's  back  was  toward  her,  but  the  figure's 
voice  was  high  in  air,  and  it  was  singing : 

Half  a  dozen  dolls  ; 
Half  a  dozen  dolls  ; 

Half  a  dozen, 

Half  a  dozen, 
Half  a  dozen  dolls. 

"  'Tis  Trixy  Highwood!  "  exclaimed  Kate  to 
herself,  and  she  hastily  descended  to  the  beach 
and  Trixy. 

"  Oh,  Miss  Trewman,"  shouted  Trixy  when 
she  saw  Kate,  "  don't  you  like  to  dig  wells  ?  It's 
awful  fun.  I've  got  this  one  nearly  deep  enough 
for  the  water  to  come  in ;  as  soon  as  it's  done 
I'll  lend  you  my  shovel  and  you  can  dig  one. 


MORE  REVELATIONS.  61 

Whoever  digs  the  best  one  any  day  gets  a  five- 
cent  piece  from  the  Admiral  -he  comes  around 
and  looks  at  'em  ev'ry  day.  I  won't  mind  if 
yours  is  better  than  mine  and  gets  the  prize." 

Kate  had  no  intention  to  take  part  in  com 
petitive  well-digging,  but  she  was  glad  to  do  any 
thing  that  would  give  her  sufficient  excuse  to  be 
with  Trixy  a  little  while ;  so  as  there  was  not 
another  person  in  sight  except  one  of  the  hotel 
watchmen,  she  stretched  herself  upon  the  warm, 
dry  sand,  took  Trixy's  shovel,  and  began  to  dig. 

"  Tm  so  glad  you  came  down,"  said  Trixy. 
"  Everybody  here  sleeps  so  late,  that  it's  lonesome 
on  the  beach  in  the  mornin'.  The  sunrise  gun 
always  wakes  me,  and  when  I  dress,  mamma  lets 
me  out  of  the  room  if  I  promise  to  go  back  and 
wake  her  at  8  o'clock.  It's  fun  to  run  up  and 
down  on  the  beach,  and  dig  wells,  and  find  pretty 
stones." 

"  Is  it  always  so  quiet  as  this  in  the  morning?" 
Kate  asked. 

"Yes,  indeed;  there's  scarcely  anybody  here, 
even  as  late  as  mamma  comes  down.  Lots  of 
folks  don't  eat  breakfast  until  noon-time  ;  how 
do  you  s'pose  they  manage  to  wait  ?  Say ;  why 
didn't  you  make  your  brother  come  down  and 
dig  a  well  ?  Mamma  says  he  looks  as  if  he 
needed  exercise." 

"  H'm  !     Really  I  hadn't  thought  of  it." 

"He  does  need  exercise,  though,  don't  he? 
But  of  course  he  does,  if  mamma  says  so.  Be 
sides,  he  looks  real  white.  All  the  men  here  look 
kinder  red  and  brown,  'specially  the  officers." 

"  You  seem  very  observant  of  men,  little  girl 
— and  of  officers." 


62  TRIP  AND    TRIXY. 

"  Of  course  I  am,  'cause  I  like  'em.  Mamma 
likes  'em,  too,  and  so  does  Aunt  Fee,  I  guess, 
'cause  they're  all  the  time  talkin'  to  her,  and 
walkin'  on  the  piazza  and  the  beach  with  her." 

"  They  ?    Then  there  are  more  than  one  ?'' 

"  Gracious,  yes  !  There's  about  forty  here, 
Lieutenant  Jermyn  says." 

"  Lieutenant  Jermyn  ?    Who  is  he  ?" 

"  He's  the  first  one  I  met,  and  he  used  to  know 
mamma  very  well,  and  he's  ever  so  nice  to  me, 
and  he  don't  seem  to  know  how  to  keep  away 
from  Aunt  Fee — so  I  heard  a  lady  say." 

"  Indeed."  Kate  continued  digging  a  moment 
or  two  longer,  for  she  wanted  to  think.  Besides, 
the  warm  sea  air  was  working  its  witchery  with 
her,  and  disinclining  her  to  effort.  The  sand 
was  clean,  she  and  Trixy  were  still  the  only 
occupants  of  the  beach,  so  Kate  soon  sank 
entirely  upon  the  warm  white  couch  which  old 
Ocean  had  provided  for  those  who  chose  to 
recline  upon  it. 

The  sun  was  bright  and  she  was  without  veil 
or  parasol,  but  she  could  trust  her  complexion  to 
itself  for  a  few  moments.  There  were  so  few 
times  and  places  for  a  young  woman  out  of 
doors !  How  delightful  it  would  be,  she  thought, 
if  somewhere  near  New  York  there  was  a  great, 
clean,  safe  beach  to  lounge  upon  !  The  mere  act 
of  breathing  seemed  a  positive  pleasure.  The 
sunlight,  through  her  closed  eyelids,  became  a 
delightful  immensity  of  rosy  pink,  the  ripple  of 
the  wavelets  upon  the  beach  was  ideal  music, 
the 

"  Hello ! " 


MORE  REVELATIONS.  63 

It  was  Trixy  who  spoke,  from  not  three  feet 
away,  but  Kate  pretended  not  to  hear;  she  pre 
ferred  the  companionship  of  her  own  thoughts, 
although  everything  definite  had  escaped  from 
them.  The  next  sound  she  heard  caused  her  to 
rise  hastily  on  one  elbow,  for  it  seemed  that  there 
was  a  noise  in  the  sand  unlike  that  made  by 
Trixy 's  shovel. 

"  Hello,  Mr.  Jermyn.  Don't  you  know  Miss 
Trewman  ?  She's  one  of  mamma's  and  Aunt 
Fee's  friends." 

"  Don't  arise,  please,"  said  Jermyn  with  a  bow 
while  Kate  looked  uncomfortable.  "  I'm  glad 
to  see  that  Trixy  isn't  the  only  visitor  who  has 
learned  which  is  the  most  delightful  hour  of 
the  day  down  here." 

Kate  persisted  in  arising,  and  Jermyn  made 
haste  to  bring  her  a  chair;  then  he  talked 
well-digging  in  a  matter-of-fact  way  with  Trixy, 
and  smiled,  with  Kate,  at  some  of  the  child's 
replies,  and  so  succeeded  quickly  in  dispelling 
Kate's  sense  of  embarrassment.  Still  more, 
wasn't  he  the  very  officer  Kate  had  most  no 
ticed  during  her  several  minutes'  survey  the 
night  before  ? 

"  You  ought  to  like  him  lots,  Miss  Trewman," 
said  Trixy  suddenly,  with  the  air  of  having 
recalled  something  from  the  limbo  of  forget- 
fulness,  "  'cause  he  likes  Aunt  Fee  lots." 

"  And  Aunt  Fee's  sister,  too,"  added  Jermyn, 
without  change  of  countenance.  "  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  Mrs.  Highwood  frequently, 
some  years  ago,  when  my  battery  was  stationed 
at  New  York." 


64  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  How  pleasant.''  said  Kate,  although  she  did 
not  mean  it.  Again  she  wondered  whether 
there  might  not  have  been  deep  purpose  in 
that  Florida  trip  which  seemed  to  have  ended 
at  Fort  Monroe.  Something  ought  to  be  done, 
and  at  once,  if  it  were  not  already  too  late. 
What  should  it  be  ?  Thinking  was  not  easy, 
under  the  circumstances,  for  Jermyn  was  talking 
to  her — not  persistently,  or  as  a  man  who  was 
trying  to  flirt ;  and  she  liked  his  looks  so  much 
that  she  did  not  want  to  appear  inattentive, 
although,  really,  didn't  it  seem  utterly  dreadful 
to  be  chatting  before  seven  in  the  morning  with 
a  man  who  had  been  introduced  only  by  a  little 
girl? 

As  they  talked,  Kate  resolved  upon  a  plan  of 
action.  Fenie  should  become  her  sister-in-law 
if  she,  Kate,  could  manage  it.  Dear  Harry 
should  not  be  disappointed;  Fenie  was  too 
young  to  marry  a  man  like  Lieutenant  Jermyn. 
If  Jermyn's  attention  could  by  any  possibility 
be  diverted  from  Fenie,  she,  Kate,  would  divert 
it ;  the  result  might  be  a  heartache  for  herself, 
for  she  did  most  heartily  admire  such  men. 
Still,  she  would  endure  such  a  pain,  for  her  dear 
brother's  sake,  and  if,  after  all,  the  affair 
didn't  end  in  a  heartache,  why 

Just  here  she  blushed,  although  Jermyn 
couldn't  imagine  why,  for  at  that  very  instant 
he  was  explaining,  at  Kate's  request,  why  the 
fort  on  the  Rip- Raps,  a  couple  of  miles  away, 
had  not  been  completed,  and  he  could  not 
imagine  what  there  was  in  the  subject,  or  in 
his  description,  to  bring  a  blush  to  any  cheek, 


MORE  REVELATIONS.  65 

yet  he  said  to  himself  that  the  blush  was  very 
becoming,  and  that  Miss  Trewman  was  quite 
an  interesting  young  woman, 

The  chat  continued  until  Trixy,  who  had 
once  in  ten  minutes  asked  Jermyn  the  time, 
announced  that  she  must  go  to  wake  her 
mother  for  breakfast.  This  reminded  Kate 
that  she  had  a  brother  to  rouse,  so  she  and  the 
child  went  into  the  house. 

Half  an  hour  later,  while  Trif  and  Fenie  and 
Trixy  with  Jermyn,  whom  they  had  invited  to 
breakfast  with  them,  were  chatting  over  their 
morning  meal  the  head  waiter  brought  Harry 
and  Kate  to  the  same  table.  There  was  no 
help  for  it,  although  Harry  looked  as  if  he 
wished  there  were  ;  a  head  waiter  is  autocrat  of 
his  domain.  As  to  the  others,  Trif  exclaimed : 

"  How  delightful !"  Fenie  smiled  pleasantly, 
although  with  some  embarrassment,  while  Trixy 
shouted : 

"  Hooray  !" 

Kate  bravely  began  operations  at  once.  For 
tune,  in  the  guise  of  the  waiter,  had  placed  her 
beside  Jermyn  and  Harry  beside  Fenie,  so,  Kate 
argued,  if  she  were  to  monopolize  the  officer, 
Harry  and  Fenie  would  be  obliged  to  talk  to 
each  other,  and  she  was  old  enough  to  know 
that  compulsory  conversation  has  frequently 
broken  the  thickest  of  social  ice. 

The  plan  worked  finely.  Harry  and  Fenie  were 
obliged  to  talk  to  each  other,  for  no  one  else  spoke 
to  either,  and  as  each  was  determined  that  the 
other  shouldn't  think  anything  unusual  the 
matter,  each  quickly  became  voluble  and  merry. 
5 


•  66  TRIP  AND  TRIXV. 

Bless  the  transparency  of  youthful  hypocrisy. 
Neither  of  those  two  young  people  imagined 
that  any  one  was  noticing  them,  yet  Kate's 
heart  was  dancing  with  joy  as  she  saw  them 
frankly  exchange  tender  looks,  and  Trif's  mind 
lost  a  great  weight  so  rapidly  that  she  felt 
several  years  younger  within  half  an  hour,  and 
she  was  made  still  happier  when,  as  the  entire 
party  strolled  toward  the  fort  to  see  "  guard 
mount,"  Jermyn  had  occasion  to  whisper  to  her: 

"  Mr.  Trewman  is  a  remarkably  fortunate 
young  man — bless  him." 

Guard  mounting  in  the  army  is  quite  as  cere 
monious  a  matter  as  parade,  and  Jermyn  had  to 
answer  many  questions  which  Kate  put  in  rapid 
succession,  while  Fenie,  who  had  seen  guard 
mount  several  times,  explained  everything  to 
Harry.  Trixy  seemed  interested  only  in  the 
movements  of  a  dog,  which  persisted  in  follow 
ing  every  movement  of  the  post  band.  Her 
mother  gazed  at  her  in  adoration.  How  entirely 
the  dear  child  seemed  absorbed  in  whatever 
interested  her — how  oblivious  to  everything  else ! 

When  the  ceremony  ended,  and  the  little 
crowd  under  the  live-oak  trees  broke  up,  Fenie 
and  Harry,  Kate  and  Jermyn,  began  to  move 
slowly  toward  the  hotel,  while  Trif  and  Trixy 
walked  behind  them.  Suddenly,  while  no  one 
else  was  talking,  Trixy  remarked  : 

"  Mamma,  dear ;  wouldn't  it  be  nice  if  they 
all  got  married,  and " 

"  Sh— h—  !  " 

Kate  suddenly  asked  Jermyn  why  it  was  that 
so  large  a  fort  had  only  a  single  flag-staff,  and 


MORE  REVELATIONS.  67 

Harry  hastened  to  give  Fenie  the  details  of  a 
lumber  contract  concerning  which  he  had  come 
South,  and  Fenie  listened  as  intently  as  if  she 
knew  lumber  from  timber,  or  any  other  com 
modity. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A   SNATCH   AT   TIME'S   FORELOCK. 

•QETWEEN  the  exhilarating  effects  of  the 
D  breakfast-table  chat  with  Fenie,  and  the 
furtive,  embarrassed,  yet  roguish  look  which 
Fenie  had  worn  for  a  fraction  of  a  second,  when 
Trixy  had  made  her  unexpected  remark  in  the 
fort  about  marriage,  Harry  Trewman  was  the 
happiest  youth  in  the  State  of  Virginia. 

Nevertheless,  he  did  not  forget  his  business 
duties  or  his  business  training.  The  lumber 
case  at  Norfolk  had  disturbed  his  dreams  at 
night,  and  was  now  troubling  his  day-dreams; 
the  best  way  to  avoid  any  more  annoyance  was 
to  hurry  over  to  Norfolk  and  settle  the  business 
at  once. 

Besides,  now  seemed  the  proper  time  to  come 
to  a  definite  understanding  with  Fenie — an 
understanding  of  the  kind  frequently  completed 
by  the  presentation  of  a  ring  containing  a  stone, 
preferably  a  diamond.  Harry  had  seen  in  a 
Norfolk  shop  a  ring,  which  he  thought  would 
entirely  answer  the  purpose,  and  he  would  buy 
it  that  very  morning.  Before  he  started,  how 
ever,  he  took  the  precaution  to  beg  his  sister, 
half  shamefacedly,  to  keep  all  designing  bache 
lors  from  Fenie  for  a  few  hours. 
(68) 


A  SXA  TCH  A  T  TAKE '  S  FORELOCK.    69 

"  Trust  me  for  that,"  said  Kate,  in  her  most 
earnest  manner.  "  I  shall  keep  Fenie  under  my 
own  wing  to-day ;  I  shall  make  sure,  at  least,  that 
Lieutenant  Jermyn  doesn't  injure  any  of  your 
chances." 

Kate  was  as  good  as  her  word,  and  as  she  and 
Fenie  were  really  very  fond  of  each  other,  they 
were  together  all  morning.  Trixy  was  with 
them ;  her  honest  little  heart  was  still  full  of  the 
injunction  to  take  the  best  of  care  of  her  Aunt 
Fee,  but  the  child  found  little  to  do  but  sit  still 
and  listen.  The  two  young  women  talked  as 
freely  and  incessantly  as  any  other  couple  of  old 
acquaintances,  amid  scenes  entirely  new,  and 
with  plenty  of  time  at  their  disposal,  and  Trixy 
heard  much  that  set  her  to  thinking;  but  she 
had  so  often  been  cautioned  against  asking 
questions,  since  she  had  been  at  Old  Point, 
that  she  found  it  necessary  to  think  out  her 
puzzles  for  herself. 

Kate's  principal  cause  of  fear,  also  her  prin 
cipal  object  of  admiration,  Lieutenant  J  ermy n,  did 
not  reappear  during  the  morning,  and  Kate  was 
mystified,  as  well  as  somewhat  troubled.  Was  it 
possible  that  he  preferred  to  chat  with  Fenie  only 
while  her  sister  was  present— or  when  he  could 
find  her  alone  ?  If  so,  matters  were  more  serious 
than  Kate  had  thought.  Perhaps  — but,  pshaw! 
— Kate  rebuked  herself  with  an  indignant  blush, 
for  the  thought  that  perhaps  Jermyn  might 
desire  to  chat  with  Kate  herself,  and  preferred 
not  to  talk  to  two  young  women  at  once. 

Yet  she  continued  to  wonder.  Like  most 
other  young  women,  and,  indeed,  like  all  Ameri- 


70  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

cans  not  well  acquainted  with  the  army,  she  was 
of  the  impression  that  officers  had  nothing  to 
do,  while  not  on  parade,  but  make  themselves 
pleasing  to  the  general  eye,  and  to  young  women 
in  particular.  She  did  not  know  that  most  of 
the  officers  at  Fort  Monroe  were  either  instructors 
or  students  at  a  most  exacting  post-graduate 
school  of  artillery,  where  each  was  expected  to 
impart  or  receive  such  advanced  knowledge  as 
would  suffice  the  commandant  of  a  great  fort  or 
the  chief  of  artillery  of  an  army. 

As  Kate  wondered,  and  feared,  and  imagined 
it  occurred  to  her  that  the  most  sensible  course 
would  be  to  "draw  out"  Fenie.  She  felt  to 
ward  the  girl  as  any  young  person  feels  toward 
one  several  years  younger ;  she  had  a  sense  of 
condescension  and  tolerance  which  was  not  al 
ways  under  good  control.  Fenie  was  young,  so 
she  was  artless,  unsuspecting,  and  transparent. 
What  would  be  easier  than  to  learn  from  her, 
not  for  curiosity's  sake,  but  for  Harry's  and 
Fenie's  own,  all  that  there  might  be  between  her 
and  Lieutenant  Jermyn  ? 

So,  as  the  two  girls  finally  seated  themselves 
on  the  piazza  to  look  at  the  noonday  prome- 
naders,  Kate  asked  suddenly : 

"  What  becomes  of  all  the  men  here  in  the 
middle  of  the  day  ?  " 

"  Oh,  they  are  somewhere  with  one  another,  I 
suppose,"  replied  Fenie.  "  Men  are  very  inter 
esting  to  one  another,  don't  you  think  so? 
There's  a  club  in  the  fort  to  which  many  of  them 
go,  I  believe." 

"  Probably  those  who  aren't  soldiers  go  there 


A  SNA  TCH  A  T  TIME'S  FORELOCK.    71 

to  meet  those  who  are,"  said  Kate.  "  What  fine 
men  those  army  officers  seem  to  be  !  IVe  seen 
them  only  at  long  range — I  believe  that's  a  mili 
tary  expression,  isn't  it  ? — but  they  seem  so  manly 
and  self-possessed ;  so  unlike  the  little  fellows 
who  pass  for  men  in  New  York." 

"  Trif,"  said  Fenie,  "  has  often  insisted  that 
soldiers  have  learned  the  secret  of  never  grow 
ing  old,  and  she  seems  to  be  right.  From  the 
youngest  to  the  oldest,  I've  found  them  courteous, 
agreeable  and — and — " 

"  Deferential?" 

"  Yes ;  that  is  just  the  word.  There's  nothing 
consequential  or  silly  about  them,  as  there  is 
about  so  many  young  men  and  old  beaux  at 
home." 

"  You  lucky  girl !  "  exclaimed  Kate.  "  I  won 
der  that  your  good  fortune  in  meeting  such 
clever  fellows  hasn't  turned  your  head." 

Fenie  indulged  in  a  smile  that  Kate  thought 
quite  unusual  in  a  girl  so  young,  a  smile  which 
was  almost  grim,  as  she  replied  : 

"  There's  a  saying  in  the  family  that  the  Ward- 
low  head  never  gets  entirely  off  the  Wardlow 
shoulders,  and  I'm  trying  to  live  up  to  it.  Still, 
I've  enjoyed  myself  greatly  in  the  general  com 
pany  here." 

"General  company?  No  man  in  particular? 
What  a  lot  of  girls  whom  we  both  know,  would 
give  their  heads  for  your  chance.  Do  you  know, 
Fenie  dear,  I  wouldn't  have  wondered  if  by  this 
time  you  had  lost  your  heart  to  some  one  quite 
competent  to  care  for  it." 

Fenie  looked  so  astonished,  and  also  so  hurt, 


72  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

that  Kate  called  herself  a  brute.  Evidently 
Harry  was  safe;  the  assurance  was  so  exhilar 
ating  that  Kate  lost  her  own  head  for  a  moment 
or  two  and  began  to  talk  at  random. 

"  What  a  capital  fellow  Lieutenant  Jermyn  is  !" 
she  said.  "Do  you  know,  it  was  merely  Trixy 
who  introduced  him  to  me,  yet  he  at  once  made 
me  feel  entirely  at  ease  with  him." 

"  Oh,  he's  charming,"  replied  Fenie.  "  He's 
been  very  kind  to  Trif  and  me.  He  seems  to 
know  every  one,  and  he's  made  us  acquainted 
with  many  pleasant  people.  Indeed,  I  suppose 
that  is  the  reason  Trif  is  not  with  us  now  ;  she 
probably  is  chatting  with  people  whom  Jermyn 
has  introduced." 

"  What  a  social  paragon  he  must  be  !  I  wish 
he  were  here  now,  for  I  want  to  ask  questions 
about  scores  of  people  whom  I  am  meeting." 

"  The  Admiral  could  answer  them,  and  quite 
as  well,  if  he  were  here,"  said  Fenie  innocently. 

"  The  Admiral  ?  " 

"Yes."  Then  Fenie  began  to  tell  what  a  de 
lightful  gentleman  the  old  Admiral  was.  In  the 
meantime  Trixy  was  looking  about  for  the  Ad 
miral  himself,  for  it  was  about  the  time  for  the 
daily  inspection  of  sand-wells  and  the  award  of 
the  prize.  But  Trixy  could  not  see  the  genial 
old  man  anywhere,  although  she  strolled  the  en 
tire  length  of  the  piazza,  and  then  went  into  the 
office  to  ask  questions.  The  Admiral  had  gone 
to  the  club,  in  the  fort,  some  one  said.  Well, 
the  fort  was  but  two  or  three  hundred  steps 
away,  Trixy  knew,  for  she  had  been  there  sev 
eral  times  already.  She  knew,  too,  where  the 


A  SNA  TCH  A  T  TIME '  S  FORELOCK.    73 

club  was,  for  Lieutenant  Jermyn  had  taken 
her  there  to  show  her  the  picture  of  a  distant  re 
lation  of  her  mother  who  had  been  a  soldier. 

To  the  club  Trixy  went,  but  an  elderly  officer 
whom  she  met  said  that  the  Admiral  was  not 
there. 

"  That's  too  bad,"  said  Trixy,  "  'cause  some 
ladies  wants  him." 

Another  elderly  officer,  who  was  present,  ad 
mitted  that  it  certainly  was  too  bad,  and  said 
that  the  Admiral  would  be  greatly  disappointed. 

"  Mebbe,"  said  Trixy,  a  happy  thought  coming 
to  her  mind,  "mebbe  Lieutenant  Jermyn  is 
here." 

"  He  is  in  one  of  the  section  rooms,"  replied 
one  of  the  officers. 

"  He's  saying  his  lessons,"  added  the  other 
"  Do  you  ever  have  lessons,  little  girl  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  sighed  Trixy.  "  Some  of  'em's 
awful  hard,  too,  though  mamma  helps  me  all 
she  can.  But  do  you  mean  that  a  great  big  man 
like  Lieutenant  Jermyn  goes  to  school  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  I  do." 

"  Dear  me !  "  exclaimed  the  child.  Then  she 
thought  a  moment,  and  continued  : 

"  Do  you  suppose  his  teacher  would  let  him 
out  for  a  while  ?  Other  scholars  get  let  out  of 
school  sometimes,  when  somebody  needs  to  see 
them  very  much." 

"  I  think  it  doubtful,"  said  one  of  the  officers, 
but  the  other,  with  a  wink  at  his  companion,  said: 

"  One  never  knows  what  can  be  done  until  one 
has  tried.  Just  go  over  to  that  door  where  you 
see  a  cat  sitting,ask  for  the  teacher,  and  tell  him 
what  you  want." 


74  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Trixy,  trotting  briskly  in 
the  direction  indicated,  while  one  officer  said  to 
the  other : 

"  Colonel,  when  will  you  outgrow  your  fond 
ness  for  practical  jokes  ?  " 

"Not  while  I  live,  I  hope.  Besides,  where's 
the  harm  ?  Amperthwaite,  the  instructor  of  that 
section,  will  be  cleverer  for  the  remainder  of  the 
day,  after  such  an  interruption,  and  the  boys  will 
be  glad  of  a  moment's  truce.  I  wish  I  could  be 
there  to  see  and  listen." 

The  door  was  open,  and  Jermyn  was  standing 
in  front  of  a  large  blackboard  covered  with 
marks  which  reminded  Trixy  of  the  geometrical 
puzzles  which  her  father  sometimes  cut  from 
cardboard  for  her.  The  instructors  and  the  other 
officers  were  looking  at  the  board,  and  Jermyn 
was  talking,  so  no  one  noticed  the  little  girl  in 
the  doorway,  and  Trixy  was  beginning  to  feel 
embarrassed.  Suddenly  an  officer,  who  had  chil 
dren  of  his  own,  attracted  attention  by  coughing 
violently.  Every  one  looked  at  him,  and  he,  in 
turn,  looked  toward  the  door. 

"  Are  you  the  teacher  of  this  school  ?  "  asked 
Trixy  of  the  one  officer  who  sat  apart  from  the 
others. 

"  Eh  ?     Oh— yes,  what  is  it  ?  " 

"  Lieutenant  Jermyn,  one  of  your  scholars  ?  " 

"  Er — Mr.  Jermyn,  do  you  resent  the  implica 
tion?" 

"  Not  for  an  instant,  Captain." 

"  Well,  little  girl,  what  is  it  ?  " 

"  Oh,  only  if  you'd  let  him  out,  there's  a  couple 
of  ladies  who'd  like  to  see  him  very  much ;  I 
know  they  would,  because  one  of  them  said  so." 


A  SNA  TCH  A  T  TIME'S  FORELOCK.    75 

The  only  really  young  lieutenant  in  the  room 
giggled;  the  others  smiled,  and  the  instructor, 
after  regarding  the  blackboard  intently  a  mo 
ment,  said : 

"  Mr.  Jermyn,  you  may  consider  yourself  ex 
cused,  if  you  so  desire." 

Jermyn  emerged  with  his  cap  in  his  hand  and 
more  than  his  customary  color  in  his  face. 
Trixy  took  his  hand,  and  led  him  toward  the 
exit  nearest  the  hotel.  Looking  towards  the 
club,  she  saw  the  two  officers  whom  she  had  met, 
they  having  moved  their  chairs  nearer  the  door 
that  they  might  observe  the  proceedings,  so  she 
shouted : 

"  I  got  him  !  " 

Then  each  warrior  chuckled,  although  Trixy 
did  not  know  it, for  she  was  busily  explaining  to 
Jermyn  why  she  had  come  for  him,  and  how  hard 
she  had  first  tried  to  find  the  Admiral,  and  Jer 
myn  told  her  not  to  feel  the  least  concern  about 
the  interruption,  although  at  the  same  time  he 
told  himself  in  entire  earnest  that  he  wished 
that  Tryphosa  Wardlow  had  never  married  and 
become  the  mother  of  a  child  like  Trixy,  for 
when  would  he  ever  hear  the  end  of  the  section- 
room  episode  ? 

But  Trixy  knew  nothing  of  the  trouble  which 
she  had  caused.  She  prattled  without  ceasing 
until  she  had  conducted  the  officer  to  her  aunt 
and  Miss  Trewman,  to  whom  she  said  : 

"  Here  he  is.     Now,  ask  him  your  questions." 

Jermyn  soon  ceased  to  feel  provoked.  One  of 
the  duties  of  a  soldier  is  to  endure  anything  that 
may  lead  to  desirable  ends.  It,  therefore,  came 


76  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

to  pass  within  an  hour  that  Jermyn  assured  him 
self  that  to  make  himself  interesting  and  useful 
to  two  young  women  like  Kate  and  Feme  was 
sufficient  compensation  for  any  teasing  which 
his  comrades  might  impose  in  the  future.  His 
feelings  must  have  expressed  themselves  in  his 
face,  for  a  lull  in  the  conversation  was  improved 
by  Trixy,  who  said : 

"  Say,  Mr.  Jermyn,  ain't  you  glad  that  I  asked 
your  teacher  to  let  you  out  of  school  ?  " 

Then  Jermyn  had  to  explain;  so  did  Trixy, 
and  the  ladies  had  to  feel  very  uncomfortable. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MISPLACED   CONFIDENCE. 

KATE  came  within  a.  day  or  two  to  enjoy  the 
society  of  Lieutenant  Jermyn  so  much 
that  she  did  not  hesitate  to  say  so  plainly  to 
Fenie.  True,  she  said  it  half  as  a  test,  to  be 
applied  to  Fenie's  own  feelings,  but  as  the  girl 
listened  without  a  sign  of  jealousy,  and  even 
looked  pleased,  Kate  was  so  well  satisfied  with 
the  situation  that  she  wanted  to  talk  farther  on 
the  subject,  and  with  some  one  more  competent 
to  estimate  a  mature  man  and  gentleman  at  his 
true  value. 

She  therefore  began  to  discuss  Jermyn  with 
Trif ,  who  was  so  happy  over  the  change  in  Fenie's 
manner  that  she  was  quite  willing  to  rejoice  and 
sympathize  with  any  one  about  anything.  Like 
any  other  good  woman  who  had  been  compelled 
to  disappoint  a  good  man,  she  wished  she  might 
see  the  man  made  happy  by  some  other  good 
woman,  so  she  wondered  whether  a  match  be 
tween  Jermyn  and  Kate  might  not  be  possible. 
Her  own  married  life  was  so  happy  that  she  pro 
foundly  pitied  any  other  woman  who  was  unmar 
ried  yet  old  enough  to  know  her  own  mind. 

How  Trif  did  long  for  Phil !  If  she  could  see 
him,  only  for  an  hour,  to  consult  with  him 
177J 


78  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

about  this  new  and  delightful  idea  that  had  taken 
possession  of  her. 

Undoubtedly  he  would  agree  with  her,  for  he 
always  came  to  her  way  of  thinking,  or  she  to  his, 
she  was  not  sure  which.  She  had  half  a  mind  to 
telegraph  him  to  run  down  to  the  fort  for  a  day  or 
two ;  she  was  sure  his  horrid  old  firm  would  not 
miss  him  greatly  during  so  short  an  absence. 
Then  she  thought  it  would  be  better  to  write 
him  and  ask  his  advice. 

Half  wondering  which  course  would  be  the 
better,  she  began  a  letter,  but  was  interrupted 
again  and  again,  so  at  night  she  was  but  little 
further  advanced  than  in  the  morning.  Besides, 
a  series  of  showers  had  descended  upon  Old 
Point,  and  Trixy  was  obliged  to  remain  indoors, 
and  a  little  girl  away  from  home  on  a  showery 
day  is  as  restless  as  a  guilty  conscience,  so  Trif 
finally  called  herself  a  heartless  mother,  and 
tried  to  devote  herself  entirely  to  her  child.  Trixy 
asked  only  that  mamma  would  write  a  good 
long  letter  for  her  to  papa,  and  Trif  began  it, 
and  got  well  under  way,  when  a  waiter  came  to 
the  room  with  a  message  from  Fenie,  begging 
Trif  to  come  down  at  once  to  see  some  old 
friends  who  had  unexpectedly  arrived,  so  poor 
little  Trixy  was  hurried  to  bed,  where  she 
thought  dismally  of  life's  disappointments  until 
she  fell  asleep. 

A  little  matter  like  a  night's  sleep  could  not 
make  Trixy  forget  anything  upon  which  she  had 
set  her  heart.  Early  the  next  morning  the  child 
begged  her  mamma  to  finish  that  letter  to  papa, 
and  she  reverted  to  the  subject  several  times 


MISPLACED  CONFIDENCE.  79 

during  the  day.  Finally  she  searched  her 
mother's  portfolio  for  the  unfinished  letter,  and 
endeavored  to  complete  it  herself,  in  imitation 
of  print,  which  was  the  only  sort  of  writing  she 
knew  well.  She  had  not  learned  to  use  a  pen, 
and  the  only  pencil  she  could  find  had  a  very 
bad  point,  so  she  put  both  letter  and  pencil 
into  her  pocket,  and  resolved  to  bide  her  time 
until  she  could  find  her  mother  disengaged. 

Once  upon  the  beach,  and  at  her  favorite 
occupation  of  well-digging,  she  forgot  the  letter 
for  two  or  three  hours,  but  the  subject  was 
brought  back  to  her  mind  by  overhearing  one  of 
the  male  guests  tell  another  that  he  had  just 
received  a  letter  from  his  little  daughter,  and 
that  a  man  never  knew  how  dear  his  children 
were  until  he  was  separated  from  them  for  a  few 
days. 

Suddenly  the  inspector  of  sand-wells,  the 
cheery  old  Admiral,  hove  in  view,  and  Trixy 
hurried  to  him  and  asked : 

"You  can  sharpen  lead-pencils,  can't  you?" 

"  I  could  when  I  was  at  the  Naval  Academy," 
was  the  modest  reply.  In  a  moment  Trixy's 
hand  and  eyes  and  head  and  tongue  were  work 
ing  in  unison,  after  the  manner  of  beginners  at 
letter-writing,  while  the  Admiral,  standing  a  little 
apart,  pretended  to  write  something  in  a  memo 
randum  book,  but  really  made  a  sketch,  to  be 
presented  to  Trif,  of  the  little  correspondent  as 
she  knelt  upon  the  piazza  floor  and  used  a  chair 
as  a  desk. 

"  Writin's  dreadful  hard  work,"  said  Trixy, 
after  several  moments  of  effort.  "  I  do  wish 


8o  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

that  mamma— oh,  say,  Admiral,  you  can  write, 
can't  you  ?  Of  course  you  can — I  see  you  doin' 
it  now.  Won't  you  please  finish  this  letter  for 
me  if  I  tell  you  what  to  say  ?  That's  the  way 
mamma  writes  'em  for  me— she  begun  this  one. 
If  you  do  it  you  needn't  pay  me  five  cents  the 
next  time  my  well's  the  best  of  the  lot,  and  I 
guess  it's  goin'  to  be  the  best  to-day.  Is  it  a 
bargain?" 

"  But,  Trixy,"  replied  the  Admiral,  "  I  question 
the  propriety  of  hearing  other  peoples'  family 
affairs.'' 

"  Oh,  I  don't  write  no  family  affairs.  This  is 
only  a  letter  to  papa." 

"  Your  logic,  my  dear,  is  as  faultless  as  your 
grammar.  Still,  I'll  be  your  clerk  for  a  few 
moments." 

"All  right;  I'm  very  much  obliged.  First, 
though,  you'd  better  begin  and  read  what's 
already  wrote,  'cause  it's  so  long  since  mamma 
began  this  letter  for  me  that  I  can't  remember 
what  I  told  her  to  say." 

"  H'm — let  me  see,"  said  the  Admiral,  adjust 
ing  his  glasses.  " '  Dear  Old  Papa ' " 

"  Go  on." 

The  Admiral,  who,  like  most  men  of  affairs, 
had  acquired  a  way  of  reading  a  page  at  a  glance, 
suddenly  looked  at  Trixy  in  astonishment.  Then 
he  re-read  the  letter,  and  said,  with  a  twinkle  of 
his  eyes : 

"Aren't  you  rather  young  to  take  so  much 
interest  in  match-making  ?  " 

"What's  match-makin*  ? "  asked  the  child, 
with  wondering  eyes. 


MISPLACED  CONFIDENCE.  81 

"  Oh,  you  seem  to  understand  the  subject 
very  well.  The  idea  of  a  child  planning  a  mar 
riage  between  a  man  and  a  woman — quite  suited 
to  each  other  though  they  certainly  are— who 
never  met  until  this  week  !  " 

"  Who  do  you  mean  ?  Aunt  Fee  and  Harry  ? 
Why,  they've " 

"  No,  no — I  don't  mean  them.  This  is  another 
couple — a  lady  and  an  army  officer." 

"  Oh,  you  mean  Mr.  Jermyn  and  Miss  Trew- 
man  ?  Why,  I  don'  remember  tellin'  mamma  to 
write  anythin'  about  them.  Come  to  think  of 
it,  though,  I  said  to  her,  over  at  guard  mount 
the  other  day,  that  'twould  be  nice  if  they  got 
married ;  but  she  said  '  Sh — h — ,'  and  that  means 
the  same  thing  as  don't  when  mamma  says  it." 

"Yes — to  be  sure;  it  used  to  be  so  in  our 
family,  when  I  was  a  boy.  But  how  did  this 
subject  get  into  the  letter,  if  you  didn't  tell  your 
mother  to  write  it  ?  " 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know,  unless  mamma  put  it 
in  just  for  fun.  Sometimes  she  helps  me  with 
things  to  say,  when  I  want  to  write  a  real  long 
letter." 

"  H'm  !  "  The  Admiral  looked  very  alert  as 
he  recalled  customs  of  his  own  family  when  he 
was  a  young  father.  "  Trixy,  would  you  mind 
telling  me  your  father's  name — his  first  name  ?  " 

"  It's  Philip." 

"  Ah,  yes.  And  is  that  what  your  mother 
usually  calls  him  ?  " 

"  Goodness,  no  !  When  she  says  '  Philip,' 
papa  pretends  to  be  awfully  scared.  Sometimes 
she  calls  him  Phil,  but  usually  she  says  '  papa.' " 
6 


82  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  Just  as  I  supposed."  The  Admiral  was 
silent  and  grave  so  long  that  the  child  timidly 
asked  : 

"  You  don't  think  it's  improper  for  her  to  do 
it,  do  you  ? '' 

"Improper?  No,  indeed  !  I'd  give  half  my 
pay— yes,  all  of  it — to  hear  my  wife  call  me 
'papa'  again."  Tears  came  into  the  veteran's 
eyes,  and  Trixy,  following  home  custom  regard 
ing  such  matters,  kissed  them  away,  which 
operation  made  the  Admiral's  face  as  cheery  as 
a  sunburst.  Nevertheless,  the  old  man  did  some 
more  thinking,  and  finally  he  said  : 

"  I'm  such  a  stupid  old  fellow  that  I  can't  easily 
finish  what  some  other  person  has  begun.  Sup 
pose  we  destroy  this  letter,  and  I  begin  a  new 
one  for  you.  I'll  write  one  as  long  as  you  like, 
if  you'll  come  into  the  office,  where  I  can  find  a 
desk." 

"  Oh,  good  !  " 

"  But  about  this  one  which  your  mother  began 
— suppose  we  have  a  secret  about  it  ?  " 

Trixy  hesitated ;  she  dearly  loved  a  secret, 
but  of  late  her  secrets  had  not  been  as  well 
kept  as  she  would  like.  Still,  she  promised,  and 
the  new  letter  was  soon  under  way,  and  at  the 
top  was  written,  "  Dictated  to  Rear  Admiral 
Allison,  retired,  by  Her  Serene  Highness  the 
Infanta  Trixy."  The  Admiral  put  the  original 
and  uncompleted  letter  into  his  pocket,  intending 
to  burn  it  and  destroy  the  ashes,  although  what 
might  happen,  should  there  be  any  enquiries  for 
it,  he  was  sure  he  did  not  know ;  perhaps  it 
might  be  well  for  him  to  hurry  off  to  Wash 
ington,  or  somewhere. 


MISPLACED  CONFIDENCE.  83 

When  the  new  letter  was  completed  Trixy 
and  the  Admiral  took  it  to  the  post-office,  and 
the  old  man,  in  endeavoring  to  impress  upon 
Trixy  the  advisability  of  keeping  the  matter  a 
secret  while  both  of  them  remained  at  Old 
Point,  exerted  his  diplomatic  faculties  to  an 
extent  unparalleled  during  his  entire  term  of 
service  as  an  officer.  He  loathed  the  idea  of 
teaching  duplicity  to  a  child,  but  in  the  circum 
stances  it  seemed  entirely  justifiable. 

As  the  day  waned,  most  of  the  ladies  retired  to 
dress  for  dinner,  and  Trif,  whose  conscience  had 
been  reproaching  her  all  day  for  neglect  of  her 
husband,  to  whom  she  knew  her  letters  were 
unspeakably  welcome,  and  to  whom  she  dearly 
loved  to  write  when  she  chanced  to  be  away 
from  him,  determined  to  finish  the  letter  begun 
the  day  before. 

"  Fenie,"  she  soon  said  through  the  door  be 
tween  the  rooms,  "  have  you  been  to  my  port 
folio  ?  " 

"  No,  dear.     I've  done  no  writing." 

"  How  strange.  I'd  begun  a  letter  to  Phil, 
and  now  I  can't  find  it." 

Fenie  said  something  playful  about  mislaid 
affection,  but  Trif  did  not  laugh,  for  she  remem 
bered  what  she  had  written.  Still,  why  should 
she  worry  ?  No  one  but  the  chambermaid  could 
have  been  in  the  room,  and  she  doubted  whether 
colored  chambermaids  at  the  South  could  read. 
The  letter  would  turn  up  in  the  course  of  time; 
meanwhile  she  would  write  a  hasty  note  to  Phil 
and  enclose  Trixy's,  just  as  it  was,  in  time  for 
the  mail  by  the  evening  boat,  which  would  close 


84  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

in  a  few  minutes,  and  Trixy,  who  never  was  spe 
cially  dressed  for  dinner,  could  take  the  letter 
down  to  the  office. 

The  Admiral  strolled  over  to  the  fort  and  the 
club,  where  he  met  a  semi  public  man  who  was 
talking  to  the  Commandant  about  a  promising 
gold  "placer "on  the  Pacific  coast  which  had 
proved  so  alluring  that  he  had  lost  a  lot  of 
money  in  trying  to  develop  it.  The  Command 
ant  had  known  of  this  same  placer,  for  he  had 
been  stationed  near  it  at  one  time  ;  the  Admiral 
also  had  seen  it,  for  he  had  been  taken  to  it  one 
day  by  some  men  who  had  hoped  to  extract 
some  of  his  savings  from  him.  Lack  of  water 
was  the  trouble,  and  the  Admiral,  who  had 
looked  carefully  over  the  ground,  had  devised  a 
plan  whereby  water  might  be  brought  by  a  tor 
tuous  route  from  a  stream  several  miles  distant. 
When  he  said  this  to  the  semi-public  man  that 
person  replied  : 

"Give  me  your  plan,  and  if  it  is  practicable 
you  shall  have  a  large  block  of  stock,  for  nothing, 
in  the  company  I'll  organize  to  work  it." 

The  Admiral  quickly  took  a  letter  from  his 
pocket  and  drew  on  the  back  of  it  a  plan  of  the 
country  as  he  remembered  it.  Then  he  con 
sulted  Jermyn,  who  had  dropped  into  the  club. 

"Very  good,"  said  Jermyn,  looking  at  the 
sketch,  "although  it  might  be  improved  a  little, 
I  think.  I've  done  some  shooting  on  that  very 
ground,  so  I  remember  it  pretty  well.'1 

"  How  fortunate,''  said  the  Admiral.  "  Mr. 
Blogsham,  my  friend  Jermyn  is  a  good  engi 
neer,  so  he  may  be  of  more  service  than  I." 


MISPLACED  CONFIDENCE.  85 

"  Good  !  "  said  Blogsham.  "  The  better  the 
plan,  the  more  it  will  be  worth  to  us.  There's  a 
block  of  stock  for  you  too,  Mr.  Jermyn,  if  you 
can  make  the  water  within  reach." 

Jermyn  opened  the  sheet  of  paper  and  made 
another  sketch  ;  then  he  turned  the  paper  over, 
supposing  it  might  contain  some  memoranda  on 
the  subject,  but  he  saw  something  that  so  upset 
his  mind  that  in  the  next  ten  minutes  he  talked 
so  vaguely  about  the  ground  and  the  water  that 
his  own  chance  of  getting  any  stock  in  the  pro 
posed  mine  seemed  to  him  very  small. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A   SCRAP   OF   PAPER. 

BRUCE  JERMYN  was  as  honorable  a  gen 
tleman  as  could  be  found  anywhere,  but 
for  two  or  three  days  and  nights  he  wished  he 
had  read  farther  in  that  letter  upon  which  he 
and  the  Admiral  had  made  their  sketches  of  the 
surroundings  of  the  placer  mine.  No  one  knew 
better  than  he  the  rights  and  sanctity  of  private 
correspondence,  but  could  any  man  be  blamed 
for  wanting  to  know  who  it  was  who  was  plan 
ning  to  marry  him  to  Kate  Trewman  ? 

He  could  not  say  that  he  objected  to  the  lady 
named  in  the  letter,  but  who  could  it  be  who 
was  charging  herself  with  the  conduct  of  the 
affair  ?  "  Dear  old  Papa,"  the  letter  had  begun, 
and  the  Admiral  being  old,  and  also  the  pos 
sessor  of  the  letter,  was  undoubtedly  the  person 
to  whom  it  was  addressed,  but  who  could  the 
writer  be  ?  Jermyn  knew  that  the  Admiral  had 
at  least  one  daughter,  who  was  a  clever  woman 
with  some  reputation  in  the  service  as  a  match 
maker,  but  she  was  married  and  living  several 
hundreds  of  miles  from  Old  Point. 

Perhaps  she  had  arrived,  an  invalid,  and 
remained  in  her  room ;  but  it  was  strange  that 
no  one  mentioned  her.  Evidently  the  writer, 
(86) 


A  SCRAP  OF  PAPER.  87 

whoeTer  she  might  be — for  the  penmanship  was 
that  of  a  woman— was  acquainted  with  Kate 
Trewman :  in  that  case  her  identity  might  be 
discovered  through  Kate,  but  Jermyn,  manly 
and  honest  though  he  was,  half  felt  that  he 
would  not  again  be  able  to  look  Kate  fully  in 
the  face,  much  less  to  interrogate  her  skilfully 
on  so  delicate  a  subject,  in  which  there  seemed 
so  much  at  stake. 

All  his  fears  and  doubts,  however,  disappeared 
like  mists  before  the  sun  when  next  he  met  Kate 
herself.  That  estimable  young  woman  was  not 
in  the  least  forward,  but  she  knew  how  to  put 
at  their  ease  such  men  as  she  liked,  and  she 
quickly  made  herself  so  companionable  that 
Jermyn  began  to  wish  that  the  writer  of  the 
letter  would  go  on  match-making,  and  in  the 
greatest  of  earnest.  Still,  who  on  earth,  or  at 
Old  Point,  could  she  be  ?  The  Admiral  himself 
seemed  to  enter  entirely  into  the  spirit  of  the 
affair,  for  he  made  two  or  three  occasions  to 
speak  to  Kate  and  Jermyn  together,  and  to 
bring  out  some  of  the  young  man's  best  points ; 
he  was  as  hearty  as  if  he  and  Jermyn  had  been 
boys  together,  and  that  sort  of  thing,  from  an 
officer  of  very  high  rank  to  a  subaltern,  has 
its  effect  upon  women.  Indeed,  the  old  sea- 
dog  was  so  very  familiar  that  Jermyn  almost 
determined  to  boldly  ask  him  for  another 
glance  at  the  letter— at  least,  for  a  look  at  the 
sketches. 

But  the  Admiral's  affability  and  high  spirits 
were  partly  assumed,  for  he  had  a  great  load  of 
trouble  upon  his  mind.  When  he  reached  his 


88  TRIP  AND   TRTXY. 

room  and  prepared  to  burn  the  tell-tale  letter,  he 
could  not  find  the  letter  itself.  What  could  he 
have  done  with  it?  At  times  he  was  very 
absent-minded;  he  had  been  known  to  go  out 
without  his  hat,  and  to  search  with  his  right  hand 
for  the  eye-glasses  that  were  in  his  left,  but  he 
certainly  had  carried  that  letter  too  close  to  his 
mind  to  mislay  it.  Had  he  taken  any  papers 
from  his  pocket  anywhere  ?  Ha  !  That  sketch 
of  the  placer  mine. 

He  hurried  back  to  the  fort,  but  it  was  not 
there,  nor  could  he  find  anyone  who  had  seen  it. 
Probably,  the  semi-public  man,  Blogsham,  had 
pocketed  the  paper,  which  would  have  been  en 
tirely  natural  under  the  circumstances,  but  Blogs 
ham  had  already  started  for  Washington. 

The  Admiral  groaned.  He  remembered  that 
the  letter  had  no  signature,  so  it  could  not  be 
traced  to  its  writer ;  but  the  writer  was  a  woman, 
and  the  subject  was  a  woman  and  an  officer,  and 
Blogsham  was  rather  a  coarse  fellow,  and  very 
fond  of  a  practical  joke,  and  if  he  should  chance 
to  know  Jermyn 

Know  Jermyn  ?  Why,  to  be  sure  he  knew 
him  !  Had  not  the  Admiral  himself  introduced 
the  Lieutenant,  and  consulted  him  about  the 
sketch?  Possibly  Jermyn  himself  had  the  let 
ter;  he  would  ask  him.  Hence,  the  Admiral's 
frequent  excuses  to  speak  to  Jermyn  in  Kate's 
presence,  and  to  finally  ask  bluntly  : 

"  By  the  way,  Jermyn,  do  you  remember  those 
sketches  we  made  at  the  club  yesterday?  " 

The  young  officer  suddenly  reddened,  and  the 
older  officer  lost  heart,  although  he  regained  it 
when  Jermyn  replied : 


A  SCRAP  OF  PAPER.  89 

"Yes,  and  I  was  going  to  ask  you  to  let  me 
see  them  once  more.  Have  you  them  with  you  ?  " 

The  Admiral  looked  the  Lieutenant  full  in  the 
eye,  at  which  the  disappearing  flush  returned. 
The  Admiral  continued : 

"  I  supposed  you  had  it  already." 

"  Not  I,  I  assure  you.  I  left  it  upon  the  club 
table,  right  at  your  elbow." 

The  Admiral  suddenly  looked  so  uncomforta 
ble  that  Jermyn  said : 

"  I  sincerely  hope  you  haven't  lost  it !  " 

"So  do  I.  I  could  make  the  sketch  again 
from  memory,  but  there  were  some — er — some 
memoranda  on  the  other  side  of  the  sheet  which 
I  had  intended  to  preserve;  that  is,  they  were 
not  my  property,  and -" 

"Not  your  property?"  Jermyn  thought  he 
saw  the  opportunity  for  which  he  was  longing. 

"  No.  The  letter  itself  belonged  to  another 
person.  Do  you  suppose  that  Blogsham  him 
self  may  have  kept  the  sketches  for  future  refer 
ence." 

"  Quite  possibly.  But  Blogsham  has  returned 
to  Washington." 

"  So  I  have  heard.  I  suppose  there  is  nothing 
left  but  to  write  him." 

"What  a  lot  of  trouble  a  bit  of  paper  may 
cause,"  said  Kate,  becoming  restive  during  a 
conversation  in  which  she  had  no  part. 

"  Yes— yes,  indeed,"  replied  the  Admiral  in  a 
manner  so  unlike  any  which  Kate  had  previously 
seen  him  display  that  the  young  woman  began 
to  wonder  whether  there  could  be  some  historic 
ot  romantic  interest  about  the  bit  of  paper  in 


90  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

which  the  two  men  seemed  so  deeply  interested. 
Everthing  she  had  known  about  gentlemen  of 
the  army  and  navy,  until  the  last  two  or  three 
days,  had  been  learned  from  novels  and  stories, 
in  many  of  which  a  bit  of  paper  played  an  im 
portant  part.  Perhaps  there  was  some  romance 
even  about  this,  and  any  romance  of  army  and 
navy  would  be  very  interesting  to  her — could 
she  know  it. 

An  hour  later  Kate  joined  Trif  and  Fenie,  with 
whom  sat  Harry.  Both  ladies  rallied  her  about 
her  apparent  conquests  in  both  warlike  branches 
of  the  public  service,  and  Kate  finally  said  that 
she  wished  she  often  could  make  conquests  of 
such  men  as  Admiral  Allison  and  Lieutenant 
Jermyn. 

"And  only  think,"  she  added  ;  "  I  do  believe 
there's  some  great  mystery  between  the  two 
men.  'Tis  none  of  my  affair,  of  course,  but  I 
can't  help  being  curious  about  it.  'Tis  all  about 
some  sketches  and  memoranda  of  some  kind. 
They  talked  it  over  before  me  without  any 
hesitation,  but  it  was  plain  to  see  that  there  was 
much  more  to  it  than  appeared  in  the  conversa 
tion." 

"  Oh,"  said  Fenie,  "  there  seems  to  be  an 
epidemic  of  mislaying  bits  of  paper.  Trif,  here, 
has  been  worrying  all  day  about  a  letter  to  Phil 
which  she  began  but  didn't  finish.  I  told  her  it 
was  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  write  a 
letter  to  one's  own  husband — or  ought  to  be,  but 
she  has  upset  her  entire  room  while  searching 
for  that  wretched  note." 

Trif  tried  to  laugh,  but  she  felt  very  uncom- 


A  SCRAP  OF  PAPER.  91 

fortable.  To  change  the  subject  of  conversation 
she  called  Trixy  and  examined  the  child's  shoes 
to  see  that  they  were  tied,  and  she  set  Trixy's 
hat  properly  upon  her  head.  Meanwhile  Kate 
continued  to  talk  about  the  Admiral  and  the 
Lieutenant,  and  their  lost  sketches  and  memo 
randa,  and  Trixy  took  part  in  the  conversation 
by  saying  that  the  Admiral  was  nicer  than  ever, 
because  he  wrote  a  long  letter  for  her,  the  day 
before,  to  send  to  her  dear  papa. 

"  Trixy !"  exclaimed  Fenie.  "  How  could  you 
trouble  some  one  not  of  the  family  to  write  a 
letter  for  you  ?" 

"  Why,  him  and  me  is  good  friends,  and 
mamma  began  a  letter  for  me,  but  she  put  off 
finishing  it,  and " 

Trif  arose  with  a  start,  took  the  child's  hand, 
and  walked  away  so  rapidly  that  a  family  woman 
sitting  near  by  remarked  to  another  family 
woman  that  it  looked  very  much  as  if  a  certain 
child  was  being  led  to  punishment. 

"  Trixy,  dear,"  asked  Trif,  as  soon  as  she  was 
well  away  from  the  throng,  "  how  did  the  Ad 
miral  come  to  write  that  letter  for  you  ?" 

"  Why,"  explained  Trixy,  "  I  wanted  that 
letter  finished,  you  know,  'cause  I  promised  papa 
when  we  started  down  here  that  I  wouldn't 
neglect  him,  so  I  tried  to  finish  it  myself,  but 
'twas  dreadful  hard  work  for  me,  'cause  the 
bottom  of  a  chair  isn't  a  very  good  table,  so  I 
asked  the  Admiral  to  finish  it  for  me." 

"But  the  letter  itself — where  did  you  get  it? 
Where  is  it  now  ?" 

"  Got  it  out  of  your  portfolio,  where  you  put  it 
when  you  stopped  writin'  it." 


92  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

"  You  dreadful  child  !  The  letter  I  began  for 
you  I  sent  to  your  father,  just  as  it  was,  and  the 
one  you  took  from  my  portfolio  was  my  own/' 

Trixy  had  often  been  called  dreadful ;  the  word 
was  in  common  use  in  the  family,  although  it  was 
generally  accompanied  by  a  smile  and  a  kiss. 
Now,  however,  there  was  no  such  demonstration. 
Trif  looked  so  stern  that  Trixy  began  to  cry, 
and,  as  the  mother's  expression  did  not  relax,  the 
child  was  soon  crying  industriously,  while  Fenie, 
who  had  been  looking  on  from  a  distance  won 
dering  what  was  going  on,  and  indignant  that 
any  one — except,  perhaps,  herself— should  do 
anything  to  make  the  dear  child  uncomforta 
ble,  hurried  to  the  rescue. 

"  I  think  you're  making  a  great  fuss  about  a 
very  small  matter,"  said  Fenic,  with  the  firm  con 
viction  and  superior  sense  peculiar  to  very  young 
women.  "  I  don't  see  anything  to  it  that  you  can 
complain  of,  except  that  Trixy  got  the  wrong 
letter  finished.  I'm  sure  you  can  have  written 
nothing  which  was  unfit  for  your  husband  to  re 
ceive." 

"  But  suppose  the  Admiral  has  chanced  to  read 
what  was  already  written  ?  ' ' 

"  Suppose  he  did  ?    What  then  ?  " 

"  He  knows  Jermyn,  and—  oh,  oh,  oh !  " 

Trif's  manner  was  so  tragical  that  Fenie  was 
mystified!  What  could  it  all  mean  ?  It  couldn't 
be  that  her  sister  had  become  too  fond  of  Jer 
myn,  and  had  any  foolishness  to  confess  to  her 
husband ;  but,  if  not,  what  was  there  dreadful 
about  the  fact  that  the  Admiral  knew  Jermyn  ? 

In  the  meantime,  Trixy  had  followed  the  cizs- 


A  SCRAP  OF  PAPER.  93 

torn  of  children  in  general  in  such  cases,  which 
is  to  get  away  from  the  scene  of  trouble  as  soon 
as  possible.  Chancing  to  meet  the  Admiral  him 
self,  she  abruptly  said  to  him  : 

"  Say,  mamma  knows  all  about  that  letter.  I 
didn't  tell  her  nothin' — she  just  guessed  it." 

"  Whew  ! "  exclaimed  the  old  man.  Then  he 
looked  as  thoughtful  and  anxious  for  a  moment 
as  if  he  were  taking  a  fleet  into  action,  and  he 
said,  half  to  himself,"!  must  take  the  night- 
boat  for  Washington.  I  hope  Blogsham  may 
still  be  there.  I  must  beg  you  to  excuse  me, 
Trixy." 

The  Admiral  hurried  into  the  hotel,  Trixy  fol 
lowing  him  as  far  as  she  could.  At  the  other 
front  of  the  house  she  met  Jermyn,  followed  by 
a  servant  with  a  portmanteau. 

"  Good  bye,  little  girl,"  said  the  officer.  "  I 
shall  be  back  in  a  couple  of  days.  A  friend  of 
mine  is  about  to  run  up  to  Washington  with  one 
of  the  government  boats,  and  I'm  going  with 
him.  Please  remember  me  to  your  mother  and 
aunt,  and  to  Miss  Trewman." 

'"What!  you  goin' to  Washin'ton  too.  So  s 
the  Admiral." 

Jermyn  stared  wonderingly,  and  the  last  of  him 
that  Trixy  saw  to  remember  was  a  face  which 
seemed  one  great  frown. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

OFF  THE   SCENT. 

T^HE  Admiral  and  the  Lieutenant  met  face  to 
1  face  in  the  Army  and  Navy  Club  at  Wash 
ington,  and  each  looked  as  if  he  were  a  rogue 
about  to  tumble  into  the  clutches  of  the  law. 
After  a  moment  of  mute  inquiry  of  each  other's 
faces  the  Admiral  asked  : 

"  Jermyn,  how  on  earth  did  you  reach  here  ? 
I  thought  I  left  you  at  Fort  Monroe  ?  " 

"And  I,"  said  Jermyn,  "supposed  I  had  left 
you  at  Old  Point,  when  I  suddenly  ran  up  here 
on  a  matter  of  personal  business." 

"Ah  !  Trying  to  be  transferred  to  some  other 
branch  of  the  service,  where  there's  more  chance 
of  promotion  ?  Well,  I  can't  blame  you.  In 
time  of  peace  a  man  must  wait  a  long  while  for 
his  just  deserts,  and  in  time  of  war  he  may  be 
killed  before  they  can  reach  him.  'Tis  a  queer 
world." 

"It  certainly  is,  or  some  things  in  it  are  very 
queer." 

"  Excuse  a  plain  question,  please.  That  letter 
upon  which  you  and  I  sketched  a  day  or  two 
ago  at  the  club — was  it " 

"  Bless  my  soul,  Jermyn,  is  that  letter  on  your 
mind  too  ?  My  dear  boy,  my  sole  purpose  in 
(94) 


OFF  THE  SCENT.  95 

hurrying  off  to  Washington  last  night  was  to 
recover  that  letter.  I  can't  imagine  where  it  is 
unless  our  enterprising  friend  Blogsham  took  it 
with  him." 

"  You  knew  its  contents  ?  " 

"  Yes — unfortunately  for  my  peace  of  mind 
since  I  was  asked  to  read  it.  But  you " 

"I,"  said  Jermyn,  "glanced  at  it,  supposing 
it  to  be  memoranda  about  the  property  you  were 
discussing  ;  I  had  no  idea  that  it  could  be  a  pri 
vate  letter.  You  will  understand  why  I  would 
like  to  know  something  further  about  it,  princi 
pally  to  save  one  woman,  possibly  two  women, 
from  great  mortification  should  the  letter  itself 
fall  into  the  wrong  hands." 

"  Possibly  two  women  ? "  repeated  the  Ad 
miral.  "  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  don't 
know  who  the  writer  was  ?  " 

"  I've  not  the  slightest  idea." 

The  Admiral  knocked  the  ashes  from  his  cigar, 
and  took  several  puffs,  regarding  Jermyn  quizzi 
cally  in  the  meantime,  before  he  replied : 

"  Dear  boy,  you've  a  powerful  friend  at  court, 
if  your  interests  are  what  they  might  be.  The 
writer  of  the  letter,  who  I  assure  you  is  not  a 
member  of  my  own  family,  was  writing  to  some 
one  to  whom  she  has  an  entire  right  to  open 
her  mind  freely.  If  that  little  scamp  Trixy 
hadn't—" 

"Aha!     Mrs.  Highwood  was  the  writer,  eh  ?" 

Jermyn  seemed  greatly  relieved  by  his  dis 
covery,  but  the  Admiral  said  indignantly  : 

"Jermyn,  you  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  your 
self  for  entrapping  an  old  friend  in  that  way— 


96  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

you  really  ought.  Beside,  you  ought  to  be 
grateful  that  so  good  a  woman  is  taking  so  great 
interest  in  you.  As  to  the  lady  whom  she  named, 
any  man  alive  ought  to  be  glad  of  an  opportunity 
to  make  love  to  her,  and  marry  her,  but  if  you 
don't  think  so " 

"  I  fully  agree  with  you,  Admiral,  but  if  the 
lady  herself  chances  to  hear  of  it — if  our  mining 
acquaintance  chances  to  be  one  of  the  fellows 
who  sees  a  joke  in  everything,  and  doesn't  care 
to  whom  he  tells  it,  and  if  he  has  the  letter,  and 
shows  it  to  mutual  acquaintances — well,  you 
know  how  a  story  gains  by  being  passed  from 
man  to  man." 

"  Quite  true,  quite  true,"  assented  the  Admiral 
with  a  groan.  "  We  must  look  the  fellow  up, 
and  at  once.  Bless  me  !  To  think  that  all  this 
trouble  came  about  through  a  child  asking  me 
to  finish  a  letter  to  her  father.  If  I  could  lay 
my  hands  upon  that  youngster  at  this  moment 
I'd—I'd " 

"You'd  probably  romp  with  her  as  pleasantly 
as  if  nothing  had  occurred." 

"  Yes,  probably." 

Trixy  would  have  been  glad  of  some  one  to 
romp  with  at  that  moment,  for  she  was  very 
unhappy.  Her  mother  seemed  utterly  wretched; 
at  other  times  when  Trif  was  troubled  in  mind, 
Trixy  had  been  quick  to  note  it  and  to  be  very 
affectionate,  and  had  been  so  successful  as  to 
be  called  her  mamma's  greatest  comfort.  Fenie, 
too,  was  miserable,  for  Trif  had  told  her  what 
was  in  the  missing  letter,  and  Fenie  Avas  sure 
that  if  the  letter  itself  fell  into  improper  hands, 


OFF  THE  SCENT.  97 

and  Kate  should  hear  about  it,  and  learn  who 
was  the  writer,  there  would  be  another  danger 
of  coolness  between  the  two  families,  for  Kate 
was  too  proud  to  endure  any  interference  with 
her  own  affairs.  Fenie  had  her  own  reasons 
for  objecting  to  any  such  trouble,  for  she  was 
very  happy  with  Harry ;  there  had  been  no  talk 
of  love,  but  none  was  necessary.  Young  people 
have  ways  of  understanding  each  other  quite 
independently  of  words ;  do  not  even  deaf 
mutes  fall  in  love  ? 

Now,  however,  even  Fenie's  pleasant  chats 
with  Harry  might  have  to  be  suspended,  for 
Trif  was  in  such  abject  fear  and  mortification 
that  she  would  scarcely  leave  her  room,  and 
Fenie  did  not  like  to  appear  entirely  unattended 
and  unwatched  by  her  sister.  No  one  would 
talk  if  she  were  seen  with  Kate  and  Harry 
together,  but  Fenie  herself,  like  Trif,  had  imag 
ined  all  sorts  of  possible  and  impossible  ways 
by  which  that  dreadful  letter,  or  some  garbled 
report  of  it,  might  reach  Kate. 

So,  the  sisters  sat  in  their  room,  and  feared, 
and  felt  like  a  couple  of  criminals  to  whom  the 
worst  might  happen.  They  exchanged  fore 
bodings,  all  of  which  were  overheard  by  Trixy, 
who  received  a  reproachful  look  with  each,  and 
did  quite  a  lot  of  silent  weeping  on  her  own 
account,  and  neither  her  mother  nor  her  aunt 
dried  her  eyes  with  kisses,  as  they  usually  did  at 
home  after  she  had  done  something  wrong,  and 
repented. 

But  the  kind  power  that  looks  after  children 
and  fools  came  finally  to  Trixy's  relief,  for  Trif 
suddenly  said : 
7 


98  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

"  Surely  the  mail  is  distributed  by  this  time, 
and  I  can  have  at  least  the  consolation  of  a 
letter  from  dear  Phil.  Trixy,  go  down  to  the 
office  and  ask  for  letters  for  our  room." 

Trixy  flew  away  like  a  bird  from  an  opened 
cage,  and  no  sooner  did  she  reach  the  lower 
floor  than  she  dashed  through  one  of  the  exits 
to  the  beach.  How  delicious  the  sunlight  was, 
after  part  of  a  morning  in  a  half-darkened  room ! 
— the  child  felt  as  if  she  were  bathing  in  it. 
And  the  beach,  too,  with  its  long  edging  of 
smooth,  hard  sand, — she  must  have  just  one  run 
on  it,  from  pier  to  pier,  and  back  again. 

It  was  a  merry  run,  but  it  put  her  out  of 
breath,  so  she  threw  herself  down  upon  the  sand 
to  rest  for  a  moment,  and  the  warm-hearted  sand 
welcomed  her  so  pleasantly  that  she  waited  a 
moment  longer,  and  then  another,  and  soon  she 
began  to  doze,  for  contemplation  of  other  peo 
ple's  troubles  had  wearied  her  early  in  the  day. 

Suddenly  she  was  roused  by  the  touch  of  a 
parasol-tip.  Looking  up,  she  saw  Kate  Trew- 
man,  who  said : 

"Trixy,  is  your  family  ill,  or  merely  sleepy? 
They  usually  are  down  early  to  breakfast." 

"Oh,  they're  bothered.  My  what  a  fuss! 
Say,  you  won't  get  angry  at  'em,  will  you  ?  " 

"  Not  I !  Why  should  I  ?  I  shall  be  very 
sorry,  though,  if  they  remain  in  their  rooms  all 
morning,  for  I  miss  them  greatly.  I  don't  find 
any  of  my  acquaintances  this  morning." 

"  Don't  you  ?  Well,  I  know  where  one  of 
'em  is.  He's  gone  to  Washin'ton,  Lieutenant 
Jermyn  has." 


OFF  THE  SCENT.  99 

Kate  said  nothing  in  reply,  but  Trixy  ex 
claimed,  "  Goodness  gracious  !  How  bad  you 
do  feel  about  it !  So  do  I.  But  he's  comin' 
back — comin'  to-morrow,  'cause  he  said  he'd  be 
gone  only  a  couple  of  days.  Oh,  how  quick  you 
do  get  glad  again  ! '' 

Kate  abruptly  turned  her  face  aside,  hid  it  in 
her  parasol,  and  thanked  herself  that  she  had 
no  little  sister  or  niece,  to  be  always  observing 
her— and  so  exasperatingly  correctly,  too  !  At 
that  moment  her  brother  joined  her,  and  asked 
Trixy  if  she  would  give  his  card,  on  which  he 
had  pencilled  a  line  or  two,  to  her  Aunt  Fee. 
This  reminded  Trixy  that  she  had  been  sent  for 
the  mail,  so  she  danced  off  in  the  direction  of 
the  office,  while  Harry  and  Kate  walked  to  and 
fro,  and  talked  of  everything  but  what  was 
uppermost  in  their  minds. 

Trixy  found  additional  causes  of  detention. 
The  mail  was  late,  and  a  throng  of  people  were 
at  the  desk  awaiting  the  distribution,  so  Trixy 
went  to  the  front  door  to  look  at  the  flowers 
which  colored  people  brought  every  morning  to 
sell  to  the  guests.  Then  she  strolled  toward  the 
fort,  to  look  at  an  old  colored  beggar,  whose 
raggedness  was  so  picturesque  that  it  fascinated 
her.  As  she  stood  staring  at  him,  a  servant 
from  the  fort  accosted  her  with, 

"Little  girl,  you  know  Adm'ral  AlPson,  don't 
you  ? — the  old  gen'leman  that  bosses  all  you 
young  ones  when  you  digs  sand-wells  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  do ;  he's  one  of  my  best  friends." 

"Well,  I've  got  lots  to  do  this  mornin',  an'  I 
don't  see  how  I'm  goin'  to  git  through.  Don't 
you  want  to  give  this  letter  to  him  for  me  ?  " 


ioo  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  Certainly." 

"  You  won't  forgit  it,  will  you  ?  " 

"Oh,  no;  I'm  not  of  the  forgettin'  kind." 
And  Trixy  took  the  letter,  forgetting  for  the 
moment  that  the  Admiral  had  gone  to  Washing 
ton.  Then  she  hurried  back  to  the  hotel,  got 
the  mail,  and  went  into  her  mother's  room, 
saying : 

"  Let  me  open  the  letters  for  you,  won't  you, 
like  papa  does  ? 

"  Yes,  but  do  it  quickly,"  said  Trif,  first  select 
ing  one  from  her  husband,  which  she  quickly 
read  and  re-read.  Then  she  took  the  others, 
after  Trixy  had  cut  the  ends  of  the  envelopes, 
and  glanced  over  them,  commenting  as  she 
read: 

"H'm  —  nothing  unusual.  Mrs.  Poynce's 
cards,  the  Misses  Brimling's  tea,  on  Thursday 
next — I  shall  be  sorry  to  miss  it ;  invitation  to 
a  spring  opening,  and — oh  !  " 

Trif  fell  back  in  her  chair,  as  if  in  a  faint. 
Fenie  hurried  to  her,  exclaiming : 

"  Trif,  dear  !  What  is  the  matter  ?  Speak  to 
me,  quick !  " 

"  That  letter !  That  awful  letter  that  I  began 
for  Trixy !  Here  it  is  !  " 

"  Dear  me !  Where  could  it  have  come 
from?" 

"  I  can't  imagine.  Why — the  envelope  is 
addressed  to  Admiral  Allison !  How  could  it 
have  got  among  our  letters  ?  " 

"Oh,"  said  Trixy,  as  excited  as  anyone,  "a 
man  gave  me  the  letter,  a  few  minutes  ago,  to 
give  to  the  Admiral,  and  I  forgot  all  about  it, 


OFF  THE  SCENT.  101 

and  I've  gone  and  cut  the  end  of  it,  with  the 
others  !  " 

"  But  who  can  it  have  come  from  ?  ' '  persisted 
Trif,  looking  into  the  envelope.  "  There  is 
nothing  else  with  it,  and  some  one  had  drawn 
pictures  on  blank  parts  of  the  sheets." 

"  He  must  have  lent  it  to  someone,  who  is 
returning  it  to  him,"  suggested  Fenie. 

'•  I've  always  supposed  naval  officers  the  soul 
of  honor  ? ''  sighed  Trif. 

"  Won't  you  give  me  the  drawing  on  the  back 
of  it  for  my  scrapbook,  mamma  ? ''  asked  Trixy. 
No  objection  being  made,  Trixy  tore  the  Ad 
miral's  sketch  of  the  gold  placer  and  vicinity 
from  the  sheet,  and  pasted  it  into  a  fearfully 
and  wonderfully  made  book  of  pictures,  which 
she  had  brought  from  home.  She  looked  at 
Jermyn's  sketch  a  moment,  thought  it  very  like 
the  other,  and  cast  it  aside.  Her  mother  picked 
it  up,  read  the  page  which  she  had  written,  and 
then  she  and  Fenie  devised  wildly  improbable 
theories  of  the  history  of  the  letter.  The  con 
clusion  finally  reached,  greatly  though  they 
regretted  it,  was  that  the  letter  had  been  lent 
by  the  Admiral  to  someone  in  the  fort,  with  the 
impression  that  there  was  some  fun  in  it.  If 
army  and  navy  officers  saw  jokes  in  such  things, 
of  course  Jermyn  would  soon  hear  of  the  letter 
itself,  to  his  great  discomfort ;  for  the  sisters 
agreed  that  he  was  too  much  of  a  gentleman  to 
laugh  over  such  a  matter.  Suddenly  Fenie 
exclaimed : 

"  There's  something  more  dreadful  still.  You'll 
have  to  return  the  letter  to  the  Admiral." 


102  TRIP  AND   TRFXY. 

"  Never,"  Trif  replied.  "  I  shall  mail  it  to 
Phil  this  very  afternoon.''  Suiting  the  action  to 
the  word  she  enclosed  it  in  an  envelope,  ad 
dressed  it,  and  affixed  a  stamp  to  it. 

"But,"  remonstrated  Fenie,  "  when  the  Admi 
ral  returns  he  will  want  to  know  where  the  letter 
is,  and  he  will  speak  to  the  man  to  whom  he 
lent  it,  and  the  man  will  say  that  he  sent  it  back, 
and  the  servant  will  be  questioned  and  say  he 
gave  it  to  Trixy,  and  then — " 

"  Probably  the  messenger  doesn't  know  Trixy 
by  sight  or  name,"  said  Trif. 

"  Oh,  he  knows  me  well  enough,"  said  Trixy. 
"  He's  servant  to  somebody  in  the  fort,  and  the 
somebody's  little  girls  play  with  me  on  the 
beach  sometimes,  and  he  comes  for  'em  at 
dinnertime  and  lunch  time." 

"  I  see  nothing  to  be  done,  then,"  said  Trif, 
"but  for  me  to  return  to  New  York  at  once. 
We  certainly  owe  neither  courtesy  nor  explana 
tion  to  the  Admiral,  whom  we  \von't  have  the 
embarrassment  of  meeting  if  we  are  not  here. 
Why,  Fenie,  you're  crying.  What  is  the  matter, 
dear?" 

"  I  should  think  you  might  know,  without 
asking,"  sobbed  the  girl,  "  you,  who  have  been 
in  love,  and — 

"  You  poor,  dear  child.  Your  sister  is  a 
thoughtless,  heartless  brute.  Still,  the  Trew- 
mans  themselves  will  not  remain  here  long; 
Kate  said  they  had  dropped  over  here  only 
for  a  day  or  two,  to  see  what  the  place " 

"  Oh,  that  reminds  me,"  said  Trixy.  "  Harry 
gave  me  a  card  for  Aunt  Fee  a  few  minutes 
ago.  Here  it  is." 


OFF  THE  SCEs\  T.  103 

Fenie  read  the  message  on  the  card,  and 
looked  pleased,  although  she  said  : 

"  Oh,  Harry  thinks  they  too  will  have  to  go  to 
New  York,  this  very  evening.  He — that  is, 
Kate,  is  waiting  for  me  down  stairs.  You  won't 
mind  my  joining  her,  will  you  ?  She  does  so 
dislike  to  be  kept  waiting." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE   SEARCH   PARTY. 

THE  Admiral  and  the  Lieutenant  searched 
Washington  quickly  yet  thoroughly,  for  the 
man  who  was  supposed  to  have  the  fateful  letter 
in  his  possession  was  prominent  enough  to  have 
his  every  movement  observed  and  recorded  by 
the  newspapers  and  discussed  by  the  clubs.  No 
one  at  Washington  had  seen  him  or  heard  of 
him  since  his  departure  for  Old  Point. 

"  Let  us  hope,  dear  boy,"  said  the  Admiral,  as 
the  disappointed  and  weary  men  lunched  to 
gether,  "  that  he  has  gone  to  the  Pacific  Coast  to 
develop  that  placer,  for  no  one  out  there  will 
take  any  interest  in  that  unfortunate  note." 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  hope  so,"  Jermyn  re 
plied,  ''  but  suppose  that  he  has  gone  to  New 
York?  That  is  his  usual  base  of  operations, 
and  should  he  have  the  letter,  and  meet  in  New 
York  some  one  who  knows  me,  it  would  be  just 
like  him  to  show  the  letter  and  talk  about  it." 

"  I  shall  at  once  go  to  New  York,  find  him,  if 
he  is  there,  and  stop  him,"  said  the  Admiral. 

"  But,  Admiral " 

"  But  me  no  buts,  my  dear  boy.  I  assure  you 
that  if  it  weren't  for  my  humiliation  at  having 
been  a  thoughtless  old  donkey  I'd  enjoy  the 
(104) 


THE  SEARCH  PARTY.  105 

job  almost  as  well  as  if  I  were  in  active  service 
and  in  chase  of  an  enemy.  A  chase  will  do  me 
good — keep  me  from  rusting,  you  know." 

"  But,  Admiral,  you  were  having  a  delightful 
time  at  the  Point ;  there  was  a  host  of  your 
friends  and  old  comrades  there,  and  they  will 
soon  be  going  away.  I've  three  days' leave  of 
absence,  and  no  farther  use  to  make  of  it  here. 
Still  more,  I'm  the  party  most  at  interest,  you 
know." 

"  But  I'm  the  one  moat  at  fault,"  persisted  the 
Admiral.  It  was  finally  agreed  that  there  should 
be  a  division  of  labor,  the  Admiral  returning  to 
Old  Point,  where  he  might  learn  from  some  one 
the  destination  of  the  supposed  custodian  of  the 
letter,  while  Jermyn  should  hurry  to  New  York, 
where  it  would  not  be  very  hard  to  find  the 
wanted  man  if  he  were  there. 

The  Lieutenant  had  not  been  long  in  the 
metropolis  before  he  learned  that  even  a  man 
known  throughout  the  nation  could  not  easily  be 
found  in  a  city  as  large  as  New  York.  He  first 
went  to  a  club  where  some  old  acquaintances 
were  so  glad  to  see  him  that  he  had  hard  work 
in  getting  away  from  them.  They  all  knew  by 
name  and  reputation  the  man  he  was  looking  for 
and  congratulated  Jermyn  on  having  any  excuse 
for  seeing  a  man  who  had  made  the  fortunes  of 
a  dozen  other  men  while  making  his  own,  but 
of  the  man's  whereabouts  they  were  as  ignorant 
as  Jermyn  himself.  Then  Jermyn  made  the 
rounds  of  the  principal  hotels,  but  he  found  that 
their  number  had  trebled  since  his  own  period  of 
duty  near  New  York,  ten  years  earlier,  and  he 


106  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

began  to  think  seriously  of  applying  for  an  addi 
tional  leave  of  absence  for  three  days,  on  the 
ground  of  urgent  and  unexpected  personal 
business. 

He  was  so  weary  at  the  end  of  a  single  day's 
search,  that  he  had  not  the  heart  to  go  to  club 
or  theatre,  so  he  dined  dismally  and  alone  at 
Delmonico's,  and  then  sauntered  over  to  Madison 
Square,  dropped  upon  a  bench,  and  blamed  the 
trees  for  not  being  as  fully  in  leaf  as  those  he 
had  left  in  the  South,  three  hundred  miles  away. 

Suddenly  a  gentleman  arose  from  a  bench 
near  by,  walked  to  and  fro  two  or  three  times, 
stopped  in  front  of  the  lonely  officer,  and  said  : 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  but  aren't  you  Lieu 
tenant  Jermyn,  of  the  artillery  service  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Highwood  !  "  exclaimed  Jermyn,  spring 
ing  to  his  feet,  and  extending  his  hand,  "  this  is 
rare  good  fortune  for  me." 

"  And  for  me,"  replied  Phil ;  "  for  you  are  the 
only  person  I  know  who  has  seen  my  family 
within  a  week,  and  I'm  as  lonesome  without 
that  family  as  you  can  ever  have  been  at  the 
smallest  post  you  ever  served  at.  Take  pity  on 
a  poor  fellow,  and  tell  me  all  you  can." 

"Your  loss  is  their  gain,"  said  Jermyn,  when 
both  had  seated  themselves.  "  I  never  saw 
Mrs.  Highwood  looking  better.  As  for  your 
daughter,  she  is  one  of  the  most  engaging  young 
women  I  ever  met,  except  her  mother,  whom  she 
greatly  resembles.  Miss  Wardlow,  whom  Mrs. 
Highwood  told  me  was  in  poor  health  when 
she  left  New  York,  is  simply  radiant ;  she  is  the 
beauty  of  the  Point,  although  she  doesn't  seem 


THE  SEARCH  PARTY.  107 

to  know  it.  They  all  talk  of  you  a  great  deal; 
to  hear  Miss  Trixy  is  to  believe  you  the  only 
man  on  the  face  of  the  earth  " 

"  Bless  her !  "  said  Phil.  "  By  the  way,  there 
are  some  neighbors  of  ours  there,  I  believe — the 
Trewmans.  Have  you  chanced  to  meet  them  ?  " 

As  he  asked  this  question,  Phil  looked  side- 
wise  at  his  companion,  and  was  sure,  despite 
the  uncertain  light  of  an  electric  lamp,  that  the 
officer's  face  colored  a  little.  But  Jermyn  re 
plied,  in  his  ordinary  tone  : 

"  Delightful  people— delightful !  By  the  way, 
I've  a  suspicion  that  you're  in  danger  of  losing 
your  sister-in-law ;  at  least  as  a  member  of 
your  immediate  family.  Mr.  Trewman  is  devo 
tion  itself,  and  although  the  young  lady  has 
many  admirers,  Mr.  Trewman  seems  to  be  the 
favored  one." 

"  Ah  !  Well,  I  don't  know  that  either  of  them 
could  do  better.  They  are  already  very  well 
acquainted,  and  Fenie  is  quite  fond  of  Harry's 
sister,  whom  I  imagine  does  not  disapprove  of 
the  match." 

Jermyn  did  not  reply,  so  Highwood  continued 
to  talk  about  the  Trewmans,  and  particularly 
about  Kate;  and  Jermyn  replied  briefly,  from 
time  to  time,  speaking  of  Kate  so  admiringly, 
yet  guardedly,  that  Phil  began  to  wonder 
whether  the  officer  had  not  been  making  love 
with  traditional  military  haste,  and  had  his  suit 
discouraged.  Being  too  good  a  man  to  persist 
in  talking  of  a  subject  regarding  which  his 
companion  felt  any  reason  for  restraint,  he 
hastened  to  change  the  subject,  and  the  two  men 


io8  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

were  soon  engaged  in  general  chat.  Phil  soon 
asked : 

"  How  long  shall  you  remain  in  the  city,  Mr. 
Jermyn?  Or  perhaps  you  are  to  be  on  duty 
here  ? " 

"  Only  on  personal  business,  which  may  take 
three  or  four  days." 

"Good!  I'll  try  to  see  that  your  spare  time 
passes  pleasantly.  Several  new  military  pictures 
are  to  be  exhibited  at  my  club,  and  I'll  be  glad 
to  have  you  see  them,  if  you  find  the  time.  I 
received  several  invitations  in  blank  to-day  ;  let 
me  give  you  one." 

Phil  drew  some  papers  from  his  pocket,  and 
began  to  search  for  the  invitations,  holding  his 
letters  and  other  papers  so  that  the  light  might 
strike  them  fairly.  Suddenly  he  was  conscious 
of  a  start.  He  looked  up  inquiringly,  and  saw 
Jermyn  gazing  intently  at  a  letter  which  Phil 
held  in  his  hand. 

"  Ah  ?  "  said  Phil,  quickly,  "  apparently  you 
recognize  this  picture.  Perhaps  you  can  tell  me 
what  it  is.  It  has  puzzled  me  not  a  little,  for  it 
is  on  the  back  of  a  letter  from  my  wife,  who 
sketches  a  little,  but  this  sketch  is  not  in  her 
style." 

"  It  reminds  me,"  replied  Jermyn  deliberately, 
and  with  a  visible  affectation  of  carelessness, 
"  of  a  bit  of  far  Western  scenery,  which  I  used 
to  know  quite  well,  having  been  there  on  duty." 

Jermyn  wished  he  could  be  alone  a  moment 
—  wished  he  were  a  boy  again,  and  in  the  centre 
of  a  great  field  or  forest,  where  he  could  give  a 
great,  joyous  shout.  That  missing  letter !  It 


THE  SEARCH  PARTY.  109 

had  reached  rightful  hands  at  last — but  how? 
He  must  telegraph  the  Admiral  at  once;  how 
delighted  the  dear  old  fellow  would  be  !  Still, 
how  in  the  name  of  all  that  was  mysterious,  had 
the  tormenting  screed  found  its  way  to  the  man 
to  whom  it  was  written  ?  There  was  no  address, 
nor  even  name,  on  the  paper  when  he  glanced 
at  it  in  the  fort,  so  the  man  for  whom  the 
sketches  were  made  could  not  have  known  to 
whom  it  belonged. 

"  When  did  you  receive  the  sketch,  Mr.  High- 
wood?"  Jermyn  asked.  "Perhaps  there  is  an 
artist  at  the  Point,  of  whom  I  have  not  heard." 

"  It  came  this  morning,"  Phil  replied,  hoping 
at  the  same  time  that  his  face  was  not  telling  of 
what  was  running  in  his  mind.  What  would 
the  man  beside  him  think  if  he  could  know  the 
contents  of  the  letter?  "  It  was  evidently  begun 
on  one  day  and  finished  on  another,  for  there 
are  hints  in  it  of  a  story  which  Mrs.  Highwood 
will  tell  me  when  she  reaches  home.  She  is  a 
dear,  good  wife,  but  she  does  hate  to  write  a 
longer  letter  than  is  absolutely  necessary." 

"  I  wonder  that  she  gets  time  to  write  at  all," 
said  Jermyn,  "for  she  is  in  great  demand. 
She  has  probably  written  you  that  she  has  met 
several  old  acquaintances ;  nice  people  from 
everywhere  seem  to  gravitate  toward  Old  Point." 

Then  Jermyn  lapsed  into  such  deep  thought 
about  that  letter,  and  the  ways  in  which  it  might 
have  got  back  to  its  owner,  that  he  almost  forgot 
that  he  was  not  alone. 

"What  can  be  the  matter  with  the  fellow?" 
wondered  Highwood.  "  If  Trif  were  almost  any 


I io  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

other  woman  in  the  world,  I  would  think  that 
there  was  some  mystery  in  which  she  and  he 
were  mutually  interested.  I  shall  write  her  be 
fore  I  sleep,  and  ask  her  all  about  it;  I  don't 
know  when  in  my  life  I've  been  so  curious  about 
anything." 

"  By  the  way,  Mr.  Highwood,"  said  Jermyn, 
with  the  idea  that  he  might  get  some  clue  to  the 
course  of  the  letter,  "  I  ought  to  tell  you  that 
your  daughter  is  flirting  most  outrageously  with 
one  of  the  finest  gentlemen  at  the  Point.  He  is 
a  retired  admiral — Allison— perhaps  you  may 
have  heard  his  name?  " 

"  Heard  of  him  ?  "  echoed  Phil ;  "  all  Ameri 
cans  are  proud  of  him.  That  isn't  all;  he  acted 
as  Trixy's  amanuensis  a  day  or  two  ago,  and  I 
suspect  that  some  of  the  funny  things  in  the  let 
ter  which  I  received  were  devised  by  him;  I've 
played  that  trick  myself  with  Trixy's  missives  at 
times." 

"  Possibly  you  are  right,"  was  the  reply,  "  for 
he  is  as  full  of  fun  as  any  one  I  know." 

"  Perhaps  the  Admiral  was  the  artist  who  drew 
that  sketch?"  Phil  suggested. 

"  H'm  !  No,  I  think  not.     I  know  his  style." 

"  Would  you  mind  asking  him  on  your  re 
turn?"  persisted  Phil. 

"  Not  in  the  least.  I  probably  shall  see  him 
to-morrow  night,  and '' 

"  What !     Is  he,  too,  coming  to  New  York  ? 

"Oh,  no.  He  had  intended  to  come,  but  I 
came  instead." 

"  But  how  can  you  see  him  to-morrow  night  ?" 

"  Easily.    I  shall  take  the  morning  train,  which 


THE  SEARCH  PARTY.  HI 

will  get  me  to  the  fort  by  nine  o'clock,  at  the 
latest." 

"  Excuse  me,  but  didn't  I  understand  you  to 
say  that  you  would  be  here  several  days  ?  " 

"  Er — I  had  intended  to  remain  several  days, 
but  I've  had  the  bad  manners  to  think  occasion 
ally  about  business  while  we've  been  talking,  and 
something  has  come  to  mind  which  will  compel 
my  return  at  once.  'Tis  a  mean  thing  to  admit, 
but  greatly  though  I've  enjoyed  meeting  you 
here— and  I  assure  you  that  I  never  in  my  life 
met  any  one  more  gladly — my  personal  business, 
which  brought  me  here,  has  persisted  in  popping 
into  my  head.  I  left  the  fort  in  great  haste — 
so  great  that  I  left  some  of  the  threads  of  my 
business  behind  me." 

Phil  Highwood  was  a  gentleman,  so  he  de 
tested  any  one  who  pried  into  the  private  affairs 
of  others,  but  for  a  moment  he  wished  himself  a 
mind-reader,  or  hypnotist,  or  something  of  the 
sort.  Meanwhile,  Jermyn,  who  felt  that  he  must 
be  alone,  said : 

"  Won't  you  honor  me  with  some  message  to 
your  family  ?  " 

"  Tell  my  wife  to  write  me  who  drew  that 
sketch,  please  ?" 

The  two  men  separated,  and  Jermyn  hurried 
up  Broadway,  feeling  younger  than  he  had  at 
any  time  in  the  last  ten  years. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A  PLAN   OF   CAMPAIGN. 

DURING  his  trip  from  Washington  back  to 
Old  Point,  the  Admiral  promised  himself 
several  times  that  he  never  again  would  endeavor 
to  complete  a  letter  begun  by  any  other  person. 
He  also  resolved  that,  on  reaching  the  hotel,  he 
would  make  a  full  and  frank  explanation  to  Mrs. 
Highwood,  and  would  offer  to  make  reparation, 
so  far  as  was  in  his  power,  by  acting  as  an  ally 
in  the  lady's  campaign  to  effect  the  capture  of 
Kate  and  Jermyn  by  each  other.  He  had  done 
some  discreet  match-making  in  his  time,  so  he 
felt  justified  in  assuring  Trif  that  there  were  ways 
in  which  he  might  be  useful. 

The  matter  was  arranged  to  his  entire  satis 
faction,  in  his  own  mind,  before  he  fell  asleep, 
but  somehow  plans  made  at  night,  even  by  per 
sons  of  much  experience  and  shrewdness,  do  not 
always  stand  the  test  of  daylight.  He  had  been 
at  the  hotel  two  or  three  hours  when  he  came 
face  to  face  with  Trif ;  the  lady  passed  him  with 
half-averted  face  and  the  slightest  possible  incli 
nation  of  the  head.  The  Admiral  felt  indignant, 
and  not  a  little  angry.  Could  it  be  possible  that 
matters  had  gone  from  bad  to  worse  during  his 
absence?  There  was  no  pluckier  man  in  the 
(112) 


A  PLAN  OF  CAMPAIGN.  113 

service  than  Rear-Admiral  Allison,  retired,  but 
for  a  moment  or  two  the  old  gentleman  was 
tempted  to  leave  Old  Point  at  once. 

Soon,  however,  he  regained  his  courage  and 
did  some  cautious  reconnoitering.  He  made  the 
tour  of  the  office,  parlors,  piazzas,  and  beach,  and 
his  search  was  finally  rewarded  by  a  glimpse  of 
Kate  and  her  brother,  strolling  to  and  fro  on  the 
pier.  Had  any  harm,  any  publicity,  come  of 
that  enraging  letter,  Kate  would  probably  be 
more  angry  than  any  one  else,  and  the  first  per 
son  to  whom  he  should  explain,  so  with  a  sink 
ing  feeling,  such  as  he  had  not  experienced 
since  the  time  he  first  went  into  action,  he  strode 
down  the  pier.  Miss  Trewman  was  not  above 
the  average  height  of  women,  but  she  looked 
very  tall  and  imperious  as  the  Admiral  marched 
forward  to  his  fate,  whatever  it  might  be.  Sud 
denly  Kate  saw  him  and  seemed  surprised ;  then 
she  stepped  quickly  toward  him.  The  old  gen 
tleman  felt  himself  turning  pale,  but  Kate  gave 
him  a  smile  which  made  him  as  happy,  he  after 
ward  told  her,  as  if  he  were  again  a  young  man, 
and  she  his  sweetheart. 

"  Oh,  Admiral !"  exclaimed  Kate,  "how  glad 
I  am  to  see  you  back !  Everything  here  has 
been  stupid  since  you  went  away.  Has  any 
thing  gone  wrong  with — with  any  one  ?  " 

"  Not  with  you,  I'm  sure,  if  looks  are  any  in 
dication.  How  is  Mrs.  Highwood  and  her  sister, 
and  Trixy  ? " 

"  Trif  appears   to  be   ill,  although   she  says 
nothing  is  the  matter  with  her.     Fenie  is  worry 
ing  about  T.rif,  and  poor  little  Trixy  seems  in 
trouble  about  something." 
8 


ii4  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  H'm,  "  said  the  Admiral,  looking  grave. 

"  Something  is  the  matter,"  exclaimed  Kate. 
"  I  see  it  in  your  face.  Do  tell  me  what  it  is. 
The  Highwoods  are  old  friends  of  ours,  and  if  I 
could  know  of  anything  that  should  be  done  for 
any  of  them  I  would  be  very  grateful." 

"  Really,  I  know  of  nothing.  Lieutenant 
Jermyn — 

Kate's  face  colored,  and  the  Admiral's  keen 
eyes  twinkled  as  their  owner  continued  : 

"  Jermyn  and  I  ran  up  to  Washington  a  night 
or  two  ago  on  business,  so  I've  heard  of  nothing 
that  has  occurred  here  since  then.  Jermyn 
wasn't  able  to  return  with  me,  but  he  won't 
remain  long  away ;  indeed,  I  know  he  has  the 
best  of  reasons  for  wishing  himself  back  again." 

Again  Kate  blushed,  which  was  exactly  what 
the  Admiral  hoped  would  be  the  result  of  his 
speech.  Still,  the  girl  seemed  suspicious  about 
something,  so  the  old  gentleman  began  to  talk 
of  something  else  with  his  customary  ability. 
While  he  was  talking,  a  waiter  from  the  hotel 
approached  and  handed  him  a  telegram. 

"Kindly  excuse  me  a  moment?"  said  the 
Admiral,  adjusting  his  glasses  and  opening  the 
envelope.  Then  he  glanced  at  the  dispatch  and 
exclaimed : 

"  Good ! " 

"  May  we  congratulate  you  upon  something  ? 
— the  thanks  of  Congress,  or  a  new  war  ?" 

"  Better  still.  The  business  upon  which  Jer 
myn  and  I  went  North  has  been  satisfactorily 
concluded.  Will  you  kindly  excuse  me  a  few 
moments,  until  I  can  write  a  letter?  I  will  do 
myself  the  honor  of  rejoining  you." 


A  PLAN  OF  CAMPAIGN.  115 

"  There  is  probably  some  secret  government 
business  in  the  hands  of  the  Admiral  and  the 
Lieutenant,"  suggested  Harry. 

"  Secret  nonsense !"  It  is  something  which 
is  mixed  up  in  some  way  with  the  strange 
manner  of  Trif  and  Fenie,  and  the  Admiral 
must  simply  tell  what  it  is." 

Meanwhile  the  old  gentleman  was  re-reading 
the  dispatch,  which  was  as  follows : 

"  That  letter  is  in  proper  hands.    Jermyn." 

"Proper  hands!  Proper  hands!"  repeated 
the  Admiral  to  himself.  <:  Evidently  that  means 
his  own  hands.  Fine  fellow  !  He  deserves  the 
girl,  if  only  for  the  pains  he  has  taken  to  keep 
her  name  from  being  used  publicly.  How  I  wish 
I  might  tell  her  the  whole  story  !  Still,  if  they 
continue  to  like  each  other,  my  time  will  come. 
I  think  that  I  ought  now  to  be  able  to  make 
my  peace  with  Mrs.  Highwood.  I  need  merely 
to  repeat  to  her  Jermyn' s  own  words,  and  crave 
the  privilege  of  age  to  laugh  with  her  over  a 
matter  entirely  to  her  credit." 

Within  five  minutes  the  Admiral  had  dis 
patched  a  note  to  Trif,  who  languidly  opened 
it  and  then  suddenly  dropped  her  languor  and 
called  Fenie,  to  whom  she  said: 

"What  can  the  man  mean?  There  can  be 
but  one  letter  that  the  man  refers  to— the  one 
which  Trixy  gave  him,  and  which  she  got  back 
so  strangely,  and  I  sent  on  to  Phil,  promising 
that  I  would  tell  him  something  about  it  when 
I  reached  home.  Phil  don't  know  the  Admiral, 
so  I  can't  make  sense  out  of  the  matter.  It 
isn't  possible  that  Trixy  is  making  any  more 
trouble  with  letters  ?" 


n6  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  Don't  be  silly  ! "  replied  Fenie.  "  What  did 
the  poor  child  know  about  the  matter?  " 

"Oh,  I'm  afraid  she  overheard  us  wondering 
whether  the  letter  ought  not  go  back  to  the  Ad 
miral,  because  whoever  sent  it  back  to  him 
would  be  sure  to  ask  whether  he  received  it,  and 
— Trixy,  where  are  you?  Have  you  opened  any 
of  my  letters  ?  " 

"No,  mamma;  really  and  truly  I  haven't," 
was  the  indignant  reply. 

"  Oh,"  said  Trif,  "  I  do  wish  I  could  find  out 
what  it  means.  If  I  don't  know  pretty  soon  I'm 
sure  I  shall  go  insane." 

Fenie  made  haste  to  be  sisterly  and  soothing, 
and  Trixy  improved  the  opportunity  to  escape 
from  the  room.  She  hurried  down  to  the  piazza, 
asked  every  one  she  knew  whether  they  had 
seen  the  Admiral,  and  finally  she  found  him  talk 
ing  with  Kate  and  Harry.  She  did  not  wait  for 
a  lull  in  the  conversation ;  she  stopped  before 
him  and  interrupted  with 

"  Say,  you  don't  want  my  dear  mamma  to  go 
insane,  do  you?" 

"  Bless  me,  no  !     What  do  you  mean,  child?" 

"  Why,  she  says  she's  goin'  to  go  insane  if  she 
doesn't  find  out  all  about  that  letter." 

The  Admiral  looked  embarrassed  ;  then  he 
said :  "  You  will  kindly  excuse  me  a  few  mo 
ments,  Miss  Trewman,"  and  quickly  led  Trixy 
aside,  while  Kate  told  her  brother  that  she,  too, 
would  go  insane,  she  thought,  unless  she  could 
know  what  dreadful  mystery  was  in  the  air. 

The  Admiral  made  haste  to  send  the  child  to 
her  mother  with  the  request  that  Mrs.  High- 


A  PLAN  OF  CAMPAIGN.  117 

wood  would  kindly  grant  an  interview  in  one  of 
the  less  frequented  parlors,  which  he  designated. 
Within  a  few  moments  he  was  talking  earnestly 
with  Trif  and  trying  to  convince  her  that  the 
troublesome  letter  was  in  Jermyn's  possession. 

Then  he  lost  his  mental  balance  for  a  moment 
or  two,  for  Trif  assured  him  that  beyond  doubt 
he  was  mistaken,  for  she  had  mailed  the  letter 
to  her  husband,  who  by  no  possibility  could  have 
given  it  to  any  one. 

The  Admiral  made  haste  to  put  Jermyn's  dis 
patch  in  evidence,  and  again  Trif  was  mysti 
fied,  for  although  she  knew  that  her  husband 
and  Jermyn  were  acquainted  it  seemed  scarcely 
possible  that  Jermyn  had  called  on  Phil  while 
on  the  errand  which  the  old  gentleman  had  care 
fully  explained,  with  the  effect  of  making  her 
appear  his  admirer  once  more.  The  Admiral 
tried  to  reason  it  out,  and  offered  the  suggestion 
that  perhaps  her  husband  had  done,  in  a  blunt, 
straightforward  way,  as  most  honest  men  are 
likely  to  do,  exactly  what  she  would  have  wished 
him  to  do. 

"  You  may  depend  upon  it,  my  dear  madam, 
that  what  I  have  suggested  is  exactly  what  has 
happened.  They  have  met,  probably  by  acci 
dent;  your  husband  has  quizzed  Jermyn  about 
Miss  Trewman,  Jermyn  has  admitted  his  inter 
est  in  the  lady;  your  husband  has  expressed 
his  interest  and  volunteered  his  assistance,  and 
to  show  that  you  also  were  interested  he  has 
given  Jermyn — not  the  letter,  but  some  word 
which  has  satisfied  the  young  man  that  the  let 
ter  reached  its  proper  destination." 


Ii8  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  I  hope  you  are  right,"  said  Trif,  "  and  for 
the  rest " 

"  For  the  rest,"  continued  the  Admiral,  "  can't 
you  and  I  afford  to  laugh  the  matter  away? 
I've  honestly  explained  how  innocently  I  was 
led  to  read  what  Trixy  brought  me.  The  letter 
itself  did  great  credit  to  your  head  and  heart; 
the  young  people  are  singularly  suited  to  each 
other,  and  there  is  no  probability  that  Miss 
Trewman  will  ever  hear  anything  about  it,  for 
the  manner  in  which  the  letter  was  returned  to 
you  shows  that  it  was  forwarded  to  me  by  some 
one  who  was  present  when  I  thoughtlessly 
sketched  upon  it.  As  no  one  but  army  officers, 
and  one  other  person,  was  there,  it  is  probable 
that  some  officer  returned  it,  and  army  officers 
are  gentlemen ;  none  of  them  would  repeat  what 
he  chanced  to  see  in  a  private  letter,  particularly 
as  his  most  natural  conclusion  would  be  that  the 
letter,  having  been  seen  in  my  possession,  had 
been  written  to  me  by  some  member  of  my  own 
family." 

Trif  felt  much  better,  and  finally  pleased  the 
old  gentleman  by  laughing  and  accepting  him 
as  an  ally,  and  also  by  accepting  his  invitation 
to  walk  upon  the  beach  and  take  some  delicious 
air,  of  which,  through  his  own  carelessness,  she 
had  recently  been  deprived. 

Trif  was  as  happy  as  an  innocent  soul  released 
suddenly  from  prison,  and  the  Admiral,  his  own 
honest  heart  relieved  of  its  burden,  was  chatting 
cheerily  and  delightfully,  when  both  met  Trixy, 
who  looked  as  if  something  dreadful  had  be 
fallen  her. 


A  PLAN  OF  CAMPAIGN.  119 

"  My  dear  little  darling,  what  is  the  matter? " 
asked  Trif. 

"  She  said  she  wondered  if  you'd  been  doin' 
anythin'  dreadful,  'cause  I  said  you  might  get 
insane." 

"  She  ?    Whom  do  you  mean  ? '' 

"  Why,  Miss  Trewman.  And  I  just  told  her, 
'no,  indeed,'  and  she  said  it  was  too  bad  that  a 
letter  should  make  anybody  such  a  lot  of  trouble, 
and  I  told  her  that  the  letter  wasn't  about  you 
at  all,  but  was  all  about  her,  'cause  I  heard  you 
and  Aunt  Fee  talkin'  about  it.  Then  she  looked 
awful  cross,  and  I  told  her  she  needn't,  cause 
'twas  about  somethin'  nice  for  her.'' 

"  Trixy,  dear,  how  much  more  did  you  tell 
her?" 

"Nothin',  mamma.  You  don't  think  I'm 
goin'  to  tell  things  to  people,  after  all  you've 
said  to  me  about  not  doin'  it,  do  you  ?  I  only 
told  her  that  you  and  papa  was  arrangin'  a  real 
nice  s'prise  for  her,  and  she  asked  if  the  Admiral 
was  helpin'  do  it,  'cause  he  seemed  to  be. 
But  I  didn't  tell  her  nothin'  about  it — really  I 
didn't." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  COURSE  OF  TRUE  LOVE. 

TERMYN  hurried  back  to  his  post  of  duty 
^J  with  such  mental  rapidity  that  neither  train 
nor  steamer  could  keep  pace  with  him.  He  told 
himself  that  he  was  a  fool;  that  he  had  not 
known  Kate  Trewman  a  week,  and  that  in  the 
first  half  of  that  same  week  he  had  imagined 
himself  in  love  with  Trif's  sister,  yet,  after  every 
thing  that  he  could  say  against  himself,  the  fact 
remained  that  he  was  so  interested  in  Miss  Trew 
man  that  he  had  all  sorts  of  fears  as  to  what 
might  happen  to  his  prospects  during  his  ab 
sence. 

He  told  himself  that  probably  she  was  already 
engaged  to  some  other  man,  for  such  women 
were  so  scarce  that  he  could  not  understand 
how  one  of  them  had  thus  far  escaped  matri 
mony.  He  also  reminded  himself  that  he  had 
been  admiring  fine  women  all  his  life,  and  that 
quite  a  number  of  them  had  married  other  men, 
generally  before  he  had  been  able  to  interest 
them  in  himself.  Still,  what  did  that  prove? 
Merely,  that  good  men,  like  great  men,  thought 
alike.  He  would  not  make  a  fool  of  himself;  he 
really  wasn't  in  love,  but  he  certainly  would  en 
deavor  to  become  better  acquainted  with  Miss 


THE  COURSE  OF  TRUE  LOVE.        121 

Trewman,  and  if  she  were  not  already  promised 
to  another,  he  would  make  her  his  own,  unless 
she  objected. 

The  first  thing  necessary,  however,upon  reach 
ing  Old  Point,  was  to  report  to  his  superior  offi 
cer.  He,  therefore,  hurried  to  the  fort ;  then,  on 
his  way  back  to  the  hotel,  he  dropped  into  the 
club,  merely  to  see  who  was  there,  or  had  been 
there,  and  in  an  instant  he  was  buttonholed  by 
the  Admiral,  who  drew  him  aside,  and  said : 

';  Tell  me  all  about  it !  Facts  first  and  expla 
nations  afterward." 

"  There's  nothing  to  tell,"  Jermyn  replied, 
"  except  that  Mr.  Highwood  has  that  exasperat 
ing  letter.  Is  there  anything  new  at  the  hotel  ?" 

"  Nothing  except  that  Miss  Trixy — what  a 
genius  for  mischief  that  child  has ! — Trixy  has 
made  a  coolness  in  some  way  between  the  High- 
woods  and  Trewmans.  Miss  Trewman  acts  all 
the  while  as  if  there  was  something  on  her  mind 
that  was  worth  being  indignant  about,  and  I 
assure  you  that  the  entire  situation  is  extremely 
uncomfortable  for  a  certain  old  gentleman  who 
wishes  nothing  but  the  best  to  all  parties." 

Jermyn  frowned  and  said : 

"  I  suppose  the  sooner  I  try  to  find  out  what  it 
all  is  about,  the  better  it  will  be  for  my  peace  of 
mind." 

"  Be  very  careful,  I  beg  of  you,  my  dear  boy," 
exclaimed  the  Admiral,  as  Jermyn  started  away. 
"  Miss  Trewman  is  a  most  estimable  young  wo 
man,  but  she  has  a  mind  of  her  own." 

"  So  much  the  better.  It  probably  will  teach 
her  to  have  proper  respect  for  other  peoples' 
minds." 


Z22  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  But  mayn't  I  suggest — 

"  Perhaps— when  I  return." 

With  that  reply,  the  Admiral  looked  miserable 
and  undecided,  and  he  finally  persuaded  some 
one  to  join  him  at  a  game  of  checkers,  which  to 
that  day  he  had  thought  the  last  refuge  of  an 
adult  mind  which  also  was  diseased. 

Jermyn  hurried  toward  the  hotel,  determined 
to  take  whatever  misfortune  might  come  to  him, 
rather  than  be  annoyed  by  more  accidents.  As 
to  Trixy — Jermyn  had  always  liked  children,  and 
years  before,  he  had  made  a  reputation  on  a  west 
ern  bound  train,  and  afterward  in  the  service,  by 
caring  all  night  for  a  fretful  child  so  that  the  in 
fant's  mother  might  get  some  needed  rest.  He 
wished  he  might  have  charge  of  Trixy  for  a  few 
days  ;  she  was  Trif's  child,  and  Trif  was  to  him 
the  ideal  woman,  and  it  was  impossible  that  the 
child  should  not  have  inherited  some  of  her 
mother's  estimable  qualities;  but  if  Trixy  had 
been  making  new  and  unexpected  trouble  for 
him,  he  wished  there  might  be  excuse  for  putting 
her  into  the  most  remote  casemate  of  the  fort, 
locking  the  door,  and  losing  the  key. 

As  he  thought  and  fretted,  he  entered  the 
hotel  and  made  his  way  through  office  and  par 
lor  toward  the  ball-room,  where  every  one  who 
did  not  dance  congregated  to  look  at  every  one 
who  did.  He  nodded  to  several  acquaintances, 
but  his  thoughts  were  entirely  about  Trixy  until 
he  was  recalled  to  better  command  of  himself  by 
the  sound  of  a  well-remembered  voice  : 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Jermyn  !  What  an  unexpected  pleas 
ure  !  We  were  told  that  you  would  be  away 
several  days." 


THE  COURSE  OF  TRUE  LOVE.        123 

"  I  am  glad  to  say  that  I  am  not  so  unfortu 
nate,''  Jermyn  replied. 

"Hello,  Mr.  Jermyn,"  piped  a  small  voice 
from  somewhere  behind  Miss  Trewman,  and 
then  the  young  man  saw  Trixy,  looking  as  inno 
cent  and  confiding  as  if  nothing  whatever  had 
happened  which  could  trouble  her  mind  or  her 
conscience. 

"  Trixy ! "  exclaimed  Jermyn,  advancing  men 
acingly  upon  the  child.  "  I  met  your  father 
yesterday,  and  he  told  me  to  give  you  a  thor 
ough  shaking  for  him  " — here  he  picked  up  the 
child  and  acted  according  to  Phil's  orders — 
"and,"  he  continued,  "  I  suppose  he  would  have 
sent  you  a  kiss  also  if  I  hadn't  left  him  in  haste, 
so  I'll  give  you  one  on  suspicion." 

"  That  is  a  very  interesting  child,"  said  Kate, 
as  Trixy  hurried  away  to  find  her  mother  and 
aunt  and  report  Jermyn's  return,  "but  I  do  think 
she  can  make  more  trouble  than  any  other  child 
I  ever  heard  of." 

"Such  offences  must  be  condoned,  I  suppose," 
replied  Jermyn,  too  happily  surprised  by  his  re 
ception  to  harbor  ill-will  against  any  one. 

"What  a  forgiving  mood— for  a  soldier!" 
said  Kate,  who  imagined  Jermyn  knew  some 
thing  of  the  mystery  she  was  trying  to  fathom. 

"Soldiers  are  often  compelled  to  learn  that 
those  who  do  most  harm  mean  least,"  Jermyn 
replied.  "  But  what  has  the  child  been  doing 
since  I  went  away  ?  " 

"  I've  not  the  slightest  idea.  Perhaps  she  has 
done  nothing,  but  she  has  excited  my  curiosity 
greatly,  through  some  references  to  myself." 


124  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

Then  Kate  looked  enquiringly  into  Jermyn's 
eyes,  and  the  young  man  was  so  delighted  to  be 
looked  at  by  her  in  any  way  that  he  met  her 
gaze  unflinchingly,  although  respectfully,  and 
finally  overcame  it,  and  Kate,  wishing  to  change 
the  subject  of  conversation,  murmured  some 
thing  about  the  heat  of  the  room. 

"Let  us  escape  from  it,"  suggested  Jermyn, 
"  and  join  Mrs.  Highwood  and  her  sister.  Prob 
ably  they  are  on  the  piazza,  for  I  saw  Trixy 
disappear  in  that  direction." 

No  one  who  hasn't  tried  it  knows  how  hard  it 
is  to  find  any  one  on  a  crowded  piazza  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  long,  and  after  sunset  too.  Success  is 
still  more  difficult  when  the  searchers  have  some 
thing  else  to  concern  their  minds  and  eyes. 
Jermyn  and  Kate  were  clever  talkers,  and  neither 
of  them  had  often  found  company  so  agreeable, 
so  they  passed  and  repassed  Trif  and  Fenie 
several  times  without  seeing  them,  and  Trif 
smiled  archly,  and  Fenie  gave  her  a  warning 
pinch,  for  Harry  was  with  them. 

Harry  himself  was  no  fool,  and  as  the  ladies 
themselves  suddenly  lapsed  into  comparative 
silence  he  remembered  that  his  sister  frequently 
reminded  him  that  ladies  had  affairs  of  their  own 
to  talk  about,  so  he  insisted  upon  getting  lemon 
ade  for  them,  and  the  journey  from  the  piazza  to 
the  cafe  was  quite  long,  so  there  was  much  time 
for  chat  before  his  return,  and  every  moment  of  it 
was  improved,  while  Trixy,  seated  on  a  low  stool, 
with  her  head  in  her  mothers  lap,  seemed  slum 
bering  as  peacefully  as  if  in  her  bed,  and  the 
physician  at  the  hotel  had  assured  Trif  that  the 


THE  COURSE  OF  TRUE  LOVE.        125 

salt  air  at  night  was  not  in  the  laast  unwhole 
some,  but  quite  the  reverse. 

When  Harry  returned,  followed  by  a  waiter 
with  a  tray,  and  it  was  learned  that  he  had  not 
forgotten  the  smallest  member  of  the  party, 
Trixy  awoke  opportunely,  and  felt  so  refreshed 
that  she  had  to  relieve  herself  of  superabundant 
vitality  by  tripping  to  and  fro  on  the  broad  walk 
at  the  edge  of  the  beach,  with  several  children 
with  whom  she  had  become  acquainted.  They 
\vere  having  a  glorious  time  when  Trixy  sud 
denly  espied  Kate  and  Jermyn;  then  she  lost 
interest  in  her  companions  and  began  to  stare. 

The  objects  of  her  attention  did  not  notice 
her;  they  would  not  have  been  conscious  of  the 
presence  of  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
had  that  distinguished  person  passed  them  in 
the  full  glare  of  the  occasional  lamps.  They 
were  not  talking  love,  nor  anything  remotely  re 
sembling  it,  but  they  were  entirely  absorbed  in 
each  other,  which  answered  the  same  purpose. 
Jermyn  had  promised  a  brother  subaltern,  only 
two  or  three  days  before,  some  coaching  in  the 
mysteries  of  ballistics,  and  for  this  very  evening, 
but  he  forgot  all  about  it,  and  the  subaltern,  who 
looked  anxiously  about  for  Jermyn  and  finally 
found  him,  saw  for  himself  that  his  chances 
were  very  slight,  so  he  sat  down  at  the  edge  of 
the  promenade  and  engaged  Trixy  in  conversa 
tion.  The  child  soon  remarked  : 

'•  You  don't  think  they're  a  couple  of  fools,  do 
you  ? '' 

"  They  ?     Who  ?  "  asked  the  officer. 

"  Why,  Lieutenant  Jermyn  and  Miss  Trew- 
man." 


126  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  Certainly  not !  What  an  odd  question !  If 
you  were  a  few  years  older,  young  lady,  you 
yourself  would  think  them  eminently  sensible." 

"  Oh,  is  that  true?  Well,  I'm  glad  of  it,  'cause 
a  while  ago  Aunt  Fee  said  if  they  wasn't  fools 
they'd  make  a  match  of  it.  How  do  people 
make  matches,  anyhow  ?  What  do  they  make 
'em  of  ?  " 

"  Upon  my  word,  young  woman,"  replied  the 
youth,  after  a  quiet  laugh,  "  you're  of  a  very  in 
quiring  turn  of  mind.  Perhaps  you  had  better 
put  that  question  to  your  mother — no,  not  now." 

"  But  they  know,  don't  they  ?  'Cause  if  they 
don't,  how  are  they  to  make  one  ?  " 

"  That's  for  themselves  to  find  out,"  answered 
the  young  man,  recalling  an  experience  or  two  of 
his  own  which  had  not  been  successful.  "  By 
the  way,  how  many  wells  have  you  dug  to-day?" 

"  I  don't  remember,"  said  Trixy,  going  into  a 
brown  study.  The  young  officer  strolled  off  to 
struggle  by  himself  with  his  problem,  leaving 
Trixy  with  her  own.  A  possible  aid  to  solution 
came  to  the  child's  mind.  Exclaiming  to  her 
self,  "Why,  of  course!"  she  began  to  walk, 
looking  carefully  at  every  person  she  met.  Soon 
she  saw  Jermyn  and  Kate  and  attached  herself 
to  them. 

"  What  is  it,  dear  ?  "  asked  Kate  in  a  tone  so 
tender  that  any  hesitation  the  child  may  have 
had  vanished  at  once. 

"  Have  you  made  it?" 

"Made  what?" 

"  Oh,  if  you  don't  know,  it  don't  mind,  I 
s'pose.  Lieutenant  Prewser  thought  you  did 
know,  or  I  wouldn't  have  asked  you." 


THE  COURSE  OF  TRUE  LOVE.        127 

"  What  on  earth  is  the  child  talking  about  ?  " 
asked  Kate. 

"  Explain  yourself,  Trixy,"  said  Jermyn. 
"  What  did  Prewser  say  we  knew  how  to  do?" 

"  Well,  come  to  think  of  it,  he  didn't  say  you 
knew,  but  he  said  it  was  for  you  to  find  out." 

"  But  what  was  it  ? ;1  persisted  Kate. 

"  Why,  'twas  how  to  make  a  match." 

Kate  suddenly  averted  her  head,  and  acted  as 
if  she  wanted  to  run  away.  Jermyn  took  her 
hand — gently,  very  gently,  yet  with  sufficient 
force  to  detain  her.  Then  he  said : 

"  Trixy,  your  mother  wants  you,  this  very  in 
stant." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE   UNEXPECTED. 

WHAT  Jermyn  and  Kate  said  to  each  other 
in  the  two  or  three  minutes  immediately 
following  Trixy's  departure  was  entirely  their 
own  affair,  and  need  not  be  repeated  here; 
beside,  they  never  afterward  agreed  exactly  as 
to  what  it  was.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  they 
walked  somewhat  rapidly  in  .the  direction  of 
the  disappearing  child,  and  parted  pleasantly. 
Kate  joined  her  brother  and  Trif,  and  asked 
how  they  had  secreted  themselves  so  success 
fully,  when  she  and  Jermyn  had  been  seeking 
them  everywhere  for  the  last  half-hour.  She 
asked  also  if  the  night  was  not  simply 
superb — heavenly  !  and  whether  they  weren't 
the  stupidest  people  in  the  world  to  sit  there 
quietly  while  the  air  was  simply  entrancing. 
For  herself,  she  thought  it  an  absolute  sin  to  sit 
still  in  such  weather,  so  she  begged  Trixy  to 
take  a  little  walk  with  her. 

The  child  was  quite  willing,  so  the  couple 
strolled  a  few  moments.  Soon  Trixy  asked  : 

"  Does  lovely  nights  always  make  you  so 
dreadful  quiet  ?  " 

"Am  I  quiet?  I  was  thinking  about  some 
thing.  There  !  I  shall  stop  thinking  about  it. 
(128) 


THE  UNEXPECTED.  129 

But,  Trixy  dear,  how  did  you  and  Lieutenant 
Prewser  come  to  talk  about — about  such  things?" 

"  What  things  ?" 

"  Don't  you  remember  what  you  said  to 
Lieutenant  Jermyn  and  me  ?  " 

"  No— o — o,"  drawled  Trixy,  whose  mind  had 
roamed  over  several  other  subjects  in  the  past 
quarter  hour.  "  What  was  it  ?  " 

"Oh,  never  mind  it,"  said  Kate  hastily,  "if 
you  don't  recall  it." 

"  Oh,  yes  ;  it  was  about  match-makin',  wasn't 
it?" 

"  Yes,"  Kate  answered,  so  savagely  that  the 
child  started.  "  Did  you  ask  your  mother  about 
it?" 

"  No.  I  was  goin'  to,  but  they  all  was  talkin' 
about  somethin'  else,  so  I  didn't  get  a  chance." 

"  Then  don't.  There  are  some  things  about 
which  little  girls  shouldn't  talk,  and  about  which 
their  mammas  don't  like  them  to  talk,  and  this 
is  one  of  them ;  so  don't  mention  it  to  your 
mother  at  all.  Do  you  understand  me  ?  " 

"Ye — es,"  replied  Trixy,  with  a  drawl  which 
indicated  doubt.  "  But  mamma  says,  whenever 
I  want  to  know  anythin'  about  anythin'  I  must 
come  and  ask  her  right  away." 

"  Very  well,  let  me  ask  her  for  you,  about 
this,  won't  you  ?  You  know  that  I  love  you 
very  dearly,  and  wouldn't  like  your  mamma  to 
think  badly  of  you  in  any  way,  so " 

"Then  if  you  love  me  so  much,"  interrupted 
Trixy,  "  why  don't  you  give  me  all  the  dolls  you 
said  you  would?" 

"  How  shamefully  forgetful  I  am  !  My  dear 
9 


I3o  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

child,  you  shall  have  those  dolls  to-morrow,  if  I 
have  to  go  all  the  way  to  Norfolk  for  them." 

"  Good  !  good  !  good  !" 

"  But,"  continued  Kate,  with  an  uplifted  finger, 
which  looked  very  impressive  in  the  semi-dark 
ness,  "  not— one — single — doll,  if  you  say  a  word 
about  this  matter  to  your  mother." 

"  All  right !" 

"  You  are  sure  you  will  not  forget  ?" 

"  Ever  so  sure.  If  I  find  myself  thinkin' 
about  it  at  all  I'll  just  say  '  Dolls,  dolls,  dolls' 
to  myself  as  hard  as  I  can,  and  then  all  the  think 
will  go  out  of  my  mind." 

"  That's  a  good  girl." 

Then  Kate  lifted  Trixy,  embraced  her,  kissed 
her,  and  called  her  the  dearest  little  girl  on  the 
face  of  the  earth,  after  which,  greatly  to  the 
child's  astonishment,  she  hurried  Trixy  to  her 
mother  and  excused  herself,  saying  that  she  had 
suddenly  found  the  night  air  much  damper  than 
she  had  supposed. 

No  sooner  did  Jermyn  leave  Kate's  side  than 
he  went  to  the  ball-room,  the  office,  and  about 
the  piazzas,  asking  every  acquaintance  whether 
Prewser  had  been  seen  in  the  course  of  the 
evening.  Finally  he  found  his  comrade  and  a 
reproachful  face  in  Prewser's  own  quarters,  and 
after  some  sharp  questioning  he  promised  to 
help  the  young  man  at  ballistics  and  anything 
else  so  long  as  he  lived.  Prewser  asked  if  con 
gratulations  were  in  order,  and  Jermyn  frowned 
and  said  "  Nonsense,"  but  he  afterwards  whistled 
merrily  and  Prewser  began  to  nurse  some  sus 
picions. 


THE  UNEXPECTED,  131 

"  Trixy,  dear,"  said  Feme  the  next  morning, 
while  preparing  for  breakfast,  "  if  I  were  you  I 
wouldn't  follow  a  lady  and  gentleman  while 
they  are  promenading  in  the  evening.  It  isn't 
ladylike.  I  am  sure  that  your  mamma  will  tell 
you  that  I  am  right." 

Trif  looked  amusedly  at  her  sister  and  said, 
"  One  word  for  others  and  two  for  yourself,"  but 
she  added  her  own  cautions  to  Fenie's,  and  said 
she  ought  to  have  called  Trixy  away  from  Kate 
and  Jermyn  the  evening  before. 

"  Why,  I  only—"  began  Trixy.  Then  she 
stopped  and  exclaimed  "  Dolls." 

"  What  have  dolls  to  do  with  it  ?'"  asked  Fenie. 

"  Lots — just  lots.  I'm  going  to  have  'em  if  I 
don't— oh,  I  nearly  told." 

"Told  what?" 

"  Why,  that— oh,Dolls !  Dolls  !  Dolls !  There." 

"  Trif,''  exclaimed  Fenie,  "  I  do  believe  the 
child  has  lost  her  senses." 

"  Oh,  no  I  haven't,  but— Dolls  !  Dolls!  Dolls!" 

"  Trixy, — ' 

"  Fenie,  do  be  quiet,"  exclaimed  Trif. 
"Trixy,  run  down  to  the  table  and  tell  our 
waiter  we  will  be  there  very  soon,  so  he  may 
have  the  oysters  ready  for  us.  Hurry,  dear." 

No  sooner  was  Trixy  out  of  the  room  than 
Trif  said : 

"  Fenie,  you  silly  girl,  can't  you  ever  see  any 
thing  ?  I  suspected  it  last  night,  but  now  I  am 
sure  of  it." 

"  Sure  of  what  ?  " 

"Why,  that  Kate  and  Jermyn  are  at  an 
understanding — or  sure  to  be.  I  saw  when  Kate 


132  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

rejoined  us  last  night  that  something  unusual 
had  happened,  and  that  it  was  not  unpleasant. 
She  acted  just  as  I— as  I  felt  when  Phil " 

"  Oh,  oh,  oh  ! "  exclaimed  Fenie,  going  quickly 
into  some  day-dreams  of  her  own,  for  she  and 
Harry  were  getting  along  capitally  together. 
They  were  not  engaged,  but  there  could  be  no 
mistake  as  to  what  the  dear  fellow  meant,  and 
what  she  wanted  him  to  mean.  She  did  not 
speak  another  word  while  preparing  for  break 
fast,  for  she  wouldn't  for  worlds  have  told  what 
was  in  her  mind — not  even  to  her  sister — yet  she 
feared  she  would  tell  it  if  she  spoke  at  all.  But 
wasn't  it  delightful  ?  She  would  marry  Harry, 
in  the  course  of  time,  and  Kate  would  marry 
Jermyn.  She  wondered  which  couple  would  be 
first  at  the  altar.  What  a  delightful  party  of 
friends  they  would  be,  the  two  couples,  with 
Trif  and  Phil ! 

The  girl's  reverie  was  so  delightful  that  even 
breakfast  did  not  destroy  it,  although  she  had 
the  healthy  appetite  to  which  young  women  have 
an  inherent  right.  She  took  the  customary 
morning  walk  along  the  beach  with  Trif  and 
Trixy,  but  there  was  an  expectant  look  in  her 
eye  which  Trif  told  herself  would  delight  Harry 
when  he  saw  it.  Trixy  tried  to  talk  with  her, 
but  got  such  vague  replies  that  she  gave  up  in 
despair  and  began  to  throw  pebbles.  Finally 
the  sisters  seated  themselves  on  the  piazza,  and 
Trif  began  to  wish  she  knew  all  that  she  sus 
pected,  for  she  longed  to  write  her  husband  all 
about  it.  There  was  no  sentimental  nonsense 
in  her  mind  about  the  handsome  soldier  who 


THE  UNEXPECTED.  133 

had  once  hoped  for  her  heart  and  hand;  but 
what  good  woman  does  not  rejoice  to  see  an 
honest  admirer  happily  married — after  she  her 
self  had  married  happily? 

The  longer  she  thought  of  it  the  surer  she  was 
that  her  intuitions  were  correct,  so  she  said  she 
must  go  and  write  a  line  to  dear  Phil.  Fenie 
accompanied  her,  but  when  Trif  reached  her 
room  Fenie  was  invisible,  for  the  girl  had  caught 
a  glimpse  of  Kate  in  one  of  the  halls,  and  had 
hurried  toward  her.  Fenie  was  thinking  about 
Kate  and  Jermyn,  so  she  put  her  arm  about 
Kate,  drew  her  into  a  parlor  in  which  there 
chanced  to  be  no  one  else,  kissed  her,  and  ex 
claimed  : 

"  You  darling  girl,  I'm  so  happy  about  it!" 

"  So  am  I,  dear,"  Kate  replied,  returning 
Feme's  endearments  in  kind;  "but  I  do  think 
Harry  might  have  said  something  to  me,  after 
all  that  I  have  done  for  him." 

"  Harry?  "  said  Fenie,  with  a  wondering  look. 
"  Doesn't  he  approve  of  the  match?  " 

"  Approve  ?  My  dear  girl,  how  could  he  have 
made  it  if  he  hadn't  thought  well  of  it  ?  How 
strangely  you  talk  ! " 

"He  made  it?  The  sly  rogue!  He  and  I 
have  chatted  together  for  hours  every  day,  but  I 
didn't  imagine  that  anything  of  the  sort  was  on 
his  mind." 

"  Tryphena  Wardlow ! "  exclaimed  Kate. 
"  Will  you  tell  me  what  you  are  talking  about  ?  " 

"  About  you  and  Lieutenant  Jermyn,  to  be 
sure." 

"  Oh,  Fenie  !  "      Kate  flushed  deeply  before 


134  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

she  continued:  "  He  and  I  have  become  pleas 
antly  acquainted,  and  I  esteem  him  very  highly, 
but  can  you  imagine  for  a  moment  that  I  am 
anything  more  than  the  acquaintance  of  a  gen 
tleman  whom  I  never  saw  until  this  week  ?  How 
did  you  get  so  crazy  a  fancy  ?  " 

Fenie  went  down  into  the  valley  of  humilia 
tion,  and  said  she  was  sure  she  didn't  know,  un 
less  something  that  Trixy  had  said — no,  some 
thing  that  Trixy  hadn't  said — that  is,  Trixy  had 
behaved  so  strangely 

"  I  don't  believe,"  said  Kate  frigidly,  "  that  if 
the  cases  were  reversed  I  would  attach  any 
importance  to  the  babble  of  a  child.  In  the  cir 
cumstances,  I  think  I  ought  to  be  told  what 
Trixy  did  say,  for  she  talks  with  every  one,  and 
I  should  like  to  know  whether  it  is  safe  for  me 
to  remain  here  any  longer.  I  supposed  it  was 
safe  for  me  to  be  here  with  your  sister  as  chap- 
erone,  but  so  long  as  she  has  her  dreadful  child 
with  her  no  one's  reputation  is  safe.  I  shall  re 
turn  home  at  once.  Fortunately  Harry's  busi 
ness  which  brought  him  to  Norfolk  is  finished, 
so  there  is  no  reason  for  our  remaining  here  any 
longer." 

Fenie  burst  into  tears,  but  Kate  had  her  own 
trouble  to  think  of,  so  she  remained  indignant. 
She  recalled  what  Trixy  had  repeated  the  night 
before,  as  having  been  said  by  some  officer;  she 
herself  had  been  too— well,  too  surprised  and 
embarrassed  at  the  moment,  and  too  exhilarated 
a  moment  or  two  later,  to  think  about  the  first 
cause  of  what  passed  between  her  and  Jermyn, 
but  she  certainly  was  not  going  to  remain  where 
her  name  could  give  occupation  to  idle  tongues. 


THE  UNEXPECTED.  135 

"  Aunt  Fee,"  exclaimed  Trixy,  appearing  sud 
denly  at  the  door  of  the  parlor,  "  I've  been  look- 
in'  everywhere  for  you.  Mamma  asked  me  to 
find  you  for  her." 

"  Trixy,"  asked  Kate,  "  what  silly  things  have 
you  been  saying  about  me  ?  " 

"  Not  any.  Every  time  I  was  goin'  to  say 
anythin'  I  just  said  '  Dolls '  instead.  Didn't  I, 
Aunt  Fee  ?  " 

"  Then  how  did  your  aunt  know " 

"  Oh,  are  you  all  here?"  exclaimed  Trif,  en 
tering  the  parlor.  "  I  only  sent  for  you,  Fenie, 
to  let  you  know  that  I  am  going  to  write  my  let 
ter  on  the  piazza  instead  of  in  my  room ;  'tis  so 
much  pleasantcr  out  of  doors.  Don't  you — 
why,  my  dear  sister,  what  is  the  matter?  " 

The  girl,  who  was  thinking  only  of  the  im 
pending  departure  of  the  young  man  who  was 
all  the  world  to  her,  hurried  from  the  room,  fol 
lowed  by  Trixy.  Kate  began  at  once  to  com 
plain  to  Trif  of  the  child's  telling— she  knew 
not  what,  and  that  was  the  dreadful  thing 
about  it.  When  Trif  learned  what  Kate's  fears 
and  suspicions  were  she  said  : 

"  Trixy  has  told  nothing  ;  she  has  had  nothing 
to  tell.  If  any  one  is  to  blame,  it  is  I,  who 
could  not  help  imagining,  and  hoping  too,  and 
talking  to  my  sister  about  it.  If  there's  nothing 
to  it  I  shall  be  dreadfully  unhappy,  for  Jermyn 
is  much  the  finest  unmarried  man  of  my 
acquaintance,  and  you  are  the  only  woman  I 
know  who  is  entirely  worthy  of  him." 

"  Aunt  Fee's  cryin'  awful,  mamma,"  said 
Trixy,  returning  to  the  parlor. 


136  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

Trif  looked  reproachfully  at  Kate,  who  showed 
signs  of  relenting,  although  she  was  having  a 
severe  struggle  with  her  pride. 

"  When  are  you  goin'  to  Norfolk  to  get  my 
dolls  ?  "  asked  Trixy. 

Kate  laughed,  despite  herself ;  Trif  embraced 
her  and  whispered  something  which  made  Kate 
blush,  look  toward  Trixy,  and  say : 

"  Run  quickly,  dear,  and  tell  Aunt  Fee  that 
I've  been  real  unkind,  and  that — for  her  sake, 
I  won't  return  to  New  York  until — oh,  I  don't 
know  when." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

COWARDS   BOTH. 

IF  human  nature  could  be  as  thoroughly 
ashamed  of  its  misdeeds  as  it  sometimes  is 
of  doings  entirely  to  its  credit,  the  world  would 
be  much  the  better  for  it. 

Kate  Trewman  was  very  sure,  after  her  inter 
view  with  Trif,  Fenie  and  Trixy,  that  she  had 
never  done  or  said  anything  the  night  before 
that  was  not  entirely  womanly  and  honest,  but 
the  mere  thought  of  meeting  Jermyn  face  to  face 
in  broad  daylight  made  her  tremble  as  abjectly 
as  if  she  were  a  criminal  and  Jermyn  an  officer 
of  the  law.  She  determined  to  keep  her  room 
all  day;  when  dusk  came  she  would  go  down 
to  the  piazza  with  Trif  and  Fenie,  and  then  if 
Jermyn  joined  them,  as  she  ardently  hoped  he 
would,  he  could  not  see  in  her  face  all  that  she 
felt  her  heart  was  putting  there. 

By  a  coincidence,  not  entirely  odd,  Jermyn 
was  feeling  very  like  Kate.  He  felt  that  he  had 
acted  hastily,  although  he  could  not  see  what 
else  there  was  for  a  gentleman  to  do  in  the  cir 
cumstances  into  which  that  dreadful  Trixy  had 
forced  him.  Fortunately  the  duties  of  the  sec 
tion-room  would  absorb  him  for  some  hours,  but 
afterwards — what?  It  had  been  his  custom  for 


138  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

two  years  to  spend  an  hour  or  two  each  day  at 
the  hotel,  chatting  with  old  acquaintances  and 
forming  new  ones,  but  he  could  not  trust  him 
self  to-day. 

He  recalled  some  romantic  affairs  of  his 
earlier  days,  and  the  embarrassment  of  some 
meetings,  and  he  persuaded  himself  that  it  was 
entirely  for  Kate's  sake  that  he  did  not  wish  to 
encounter  her  suddenly  that  morning.  But  what 
could  he  do?  Ha!  He  had  it.  He  would  run 
up  to  Norfolk  and  be  measured  for  the  new  uni 
form  which  he  had  long  been  promising  himself. 
The  general  commanding  the  department  was 
soon  to  make  his  annual  official  visit  to  the 
fort ;  there  would  be  an  inspection  and  parade 
which  should,  if  possible,  exceed  any  of  the 
weekly  affairs,  and  if  the  Trewmans  remained 
until  that  time,  as  he  hoped  they  might,  he 
would  like  to  appear  to  the  best  possible  advan 
tage  before  the  one  woman  in  the  world. 

The  Norfolk  boat  chanced  to  be  very  slow 
that  morning,  and  as  the  weather  was  quite 
warm  Jermyn  made  his  way  as  far  forward  as 
possible  to  get  the  air.  Most  of  the  other  pas 
sengers  had  done  likewise,  but  Jermyn  found  a 
vacant  chair  near  some  brother  officers  and 
made  haste  to  take  it.  Two  or  three  min 
utes  later  he  saw,  seated  very  near  him,  and 
reading  as  industriously  as  if  her  book  were  the 
most  interesting  in  the  world,  Kate  Trewman. 
Kate  well  knew  who  was  seated  near  her,  but 
she  could  not  help  looking  shyly  toward  him. 

"  What  a  delightful  surprise ! "  said  Jermyn, 
bravely,  as  he  moved  his  chair  toward  Kate's. 


COWARDS  BOTH.  139 

"  Very  kind  of  you,"  Kate  murmured.  "  I  had 
some  shopping  to  do,  and  as  my  brother  has 
already  made  me  acquainted  with  some  of  the 
business  streets,  and  as  I  could  not  persuade 
him  to  accompany  me,  I  ventured  alone.  The 
truth  is,  I  promised  Trixy  Highwood  some  dolls 
before  I  left  New  York,  and  she  reminded  me  of 
them  yesterday,  and  I  think  'tis  dreadfully  cruel 
to  disappoint  a  child — don't  you  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  do,  when  the  child  chances  to  be 
so  interesting  as  Trixy."  Jermyn  cudgelled  his 
wits  a  moment  before  continuing :  "  May  I  ask 
whether  you  know  the  ways  of  Norfolk  shops  ? 
Some  of  the  dealers  regard  Northern  people  as 
specially  desirable  prey,  but  there  are  others  who 
make  special  concessions  to  us  people  of  the 
fort.  Won't  you  let  me  make  you  acquainted 
with  some  of  them  ?  After  that,  you  may  banish 
me  when  you  will." 

"  You  are  very  kind.  Oh,  Mr.  Jermyn,  weren't 
these  waters  the  scene  of  that  wonderful  fight 
between  the  Merrimac  and  the  Monitor?" 

Jermyn  immediately  began  the  story  of  the  his 
toric  naval  engagement,  and  that  Kate  might  see 
the  localities  more  clearly  he  borrowed  a  glass 
from  the  pilot,  and  he  begged  permission  to 
steady  Kate's  arm  while  she  used  the  glass — the 
old  boat  trembled  so  provokingly,  he  said,  and 
Kate  herself  admitted  that  she  never  had  been 
on  a  boat  whose  deck  was  more  unsteady,  so  Jer 
myn  continued  to  assist  her  until  nothing  re 
mained  to  be  seen  but  the  docks  of  Norfolk. 
Then  he  escorted  her  to  two  or  three  shops,  mak 
ing  every  possible  excuse  to  remain  with  her. 
Finally,  he  said : 


140  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

"  Would  you  mind  my  remaining  with  you 
while  you  select  those  dolls  ?  I  used  to  have  to 
buy  such  things,  when  my  sisters  were  younger, 
and  it  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  recall  the 
sensation." 

Kate  could  not  refuse  a  request  made  in  such 
terms,  so  the  couple  were  soon  having  much 
amusement  in  discussing  the  utterly  inhuman 
features  which  manufacturers  succeed  in  impos 
ing  upon  dolls.  The  selection  consumed  much 
time ;  meanwhile  there  came  into  the  shop  an  offi 
cer's  wife,  newly  arrived  at  the  fort,  who  asked 
Jermyn  if  he  might  be  going  to  the  navy-yard, 
across  the  river,  for  she  had  come  from  an  inte 
rior  town  where  naval  vessels  never  had  been 
seen,  and  she  did  long  to  look  at  some,  if  only 
for  a  moment  or  two,  and  Jermyn  said  he  would 
be  delighted  to  escort  her  to  and  through  the 
yard,  where  he  knew  every  one,  and  he  asked 
Kate  whether  she  would  not  accompany  them  ? 

Kate  did  not  say  "  No;"  she  was  by  that  time 
in  a  frame  of  mind  which  would  have  made  her 
equal  to  tramping  through  mud  for  the  sake  of 
having  Jermyn  beside  her.  While  at  the  yard, 
she  noted  with  delight  the  heartiness  with  which 
all  the  naval  officers  greeted  Jermyn.  Trif  had 
whispered  to  her,  only  a  few  hours  before,  that 
she  herself  had  once  been  almost  in  love  with 
Jermyn,  and  that  she  still  believed  no  other 
bachelor  alive  was  his  equal,  but  Kate  had  been 
a  woman  long  enough  to  attach  more  importance 
to  men's  opinions  of  men  than  to  women's. 
Luncheon  was  served  for  the  party  on  one  of 
the  war  vessels,  and  each  lady  was  toasted,  and 


CO  WARDS  BOTH.  141 

Kate  noted  that  when  her  own  name  was  given, 
Jermyn  drained  his  glass  with  a  look  at  her 
which  made  her  feel  uncomfortable  yet  happy. 

The  party  returned  to  Old  Point  by  a  boat 
which  did  not  reach  the  pier  until  after  dark, 
and  as  the  officer's  wife  had  never  before  been 
in  Norfolk  alone  her  husband  was  at  the  pier, 
in  much  anxiety,  to  look  for  her,  and  escort  her 
home,  and  the  pier  was  so  covered  with  freight 
that  Jermyn  thought  it  his  duty  to  insist  that 
Kate  should  take  his  arm,  which  he  held  very 
closely  to  his  side  without  any  remonstrance 
from  the  owner,  and  then  he  insisted  upon  find 
ing  her  brother  or  Trif  before  he  left  her. 

" 'Tis  all  right,"  whispered  Trif  to  Fenie,  as 
she  saw  them  approaching. 

"About  the  dolls?"  asked  Trixy,  anxiously. 
"  Do  you  think  them's  in  the  bundle  that  he's 
carryin'?" 

"  No,  you  silly  child !"  said  Fenie.  "  Your 
mother  means 

Fenie  received  a  warning  pinch,  but  it  was  too 
late,  for  the  child  exclaimed:  "Oh,  I  know!" 
and  made  a  sudden  dash  in  the  direction  of  the 
approaching  couple.  Trif  snatched  at  Trixy's 
dress ;  there  was  a  ripping,  tearing  sound,  and 
away  went  the  child,  while  behind  her  floated 
something  like  a  train. 

"  Oh,  I'm  so  glad  !"  she  exclaimed,  stopping 
before  Jermyn  and  Kate  so  suddenly  as  to  sepa 
rate  them. 

"  Yes,"  said  Kate.  "  Here  are  the  dolls, 
dear." 

"  I'm  awful  glad  to  get  'em;  my,  what  a  big 
bundle !  But  that  wasn't  what  I  meant." 


142  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  What  else  ?"  asked  Kate,  in  entire  innocence. 

"  Why,  that  you're  bein'  nice  to  Mr.  Jermyn. 
Mamma  and  Aunt  Fee  have  been  talkin'  about 
you  all  day,  and  hopin'  you  wouldn't  be  a 
fool — that's  what  they  said ;  I  never  say  such 
things  about  a  lady — no  indeed !  Say,  you're 
engaged,  aren't  you  ?  'Cause " 

"  Take  the  package  to  your  mother,  Trixy, 
and  let  her  open  it  for  you,"  said  Jermyn 
quickly.  "  Miss  Trewman,  please  don't  hurry 
away ;  do  take  my  arm  again,  just  for  a  moment; 
thank  you.  I  merely  wished  to  say — shall  we 
walk  a  moment  ? — to  say  that  our  friends  seem 
to  take  unusual  interest  in  us ;  interest  of  a  kind 
which  I'm  sure  neither  of  us  has  said  a  word  to 
justify." 

"  Not  a  word,  I'm  sure,"  assented  Kate. 

"  But  I  can't  endure,"  continued  Jermyn  rap 
idly,  "  to  risk,  merely  through  the  prattle  of  a 
child,  the  most  delightful  friendship  I  ever 
made.  Last  night  I  said  to  you — but  why 
repeat  it  ?  I've  no  right  to  expect  you  to  endure 
any  annoyance,  for  my  sake,  but  if  you  chance 
to  like  me  as  much  as  last  night  you  let  me 
think  you  do,  can't  we  afford  to  make  light  of 
such  chatter  as  that  provoking  child  may  inflict 
upon  us  ?  Good  men  are  plentiful — better  men 
than  I ;  but  to  me  there  is  only  one  woman  in  all 
the  world,  and  I  can't  bear  the  thought  of  giving 
up  hope  of  her  until  she  herself  commands  me. 
I  assure  you  that  I  am  entirely  in  earnest." 

"  I  couldn't  suspect  you  of  flirting,"  said  Kate, 
softly. 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Jermyn,  pressing  closely  to 


CO  WA RDS  BO TH.  143 

his  side  the  little  hand  which  was  trembling  on 
his  arm.  "  I  won't  ask  you  for  any  promises, 
except  that  you  will  allow  yourself  to  become  well 
acquainted  with  me.  You  are  with  friends  who 
love  you  dearly,  and  one  of  them  knows  me  of 
old.  There  can  be  nothing  to  cause  embarrass 
ment  between  us,  except  — 

"  Except  Trixy  ? "  interrupted  Kate,  with  a 
silvery  laugh. 

"  Bless  you  for  laughing  about  it !  "  said  Jer- 
myn,  earnestly.  "  If  you  can  continue  to  do  so, 
then " 

';  One  can  get  accustomed  to  almost  any 
thing,"  said  Kate,  with  another  laugh,  although 
why  she  laughed  she  was  sure  she  did  not 
know. 

"  If  '  can '  could  mean  '  will,'  and  if  I  could  be 
'  anything '-  "  said  Jermyn.  He  did  not  com 
plete  the  sentence,  so  Kate  looked  shyly  up  at 
him.  They  had  walked  so  far  that  they  were 
beyond  the  lights  of  the  hotel,  but  the  girl  could 
see  that  her  companion's  face,  always  strong  and 
earnest,  seemed  intently  fixed  upon  something 
far  ahead.  They  had  walked  all  the  way  to  the 
little  lighthouse,  and  just  beyond  it,  and  there 
are  few  darker  places  than  the  base  of  a  light 
house.  The  darkness  gave  Kate  courage,  so 
she  whispered : 

"  It  shall  mean  'will,'  if  you  wish  it  so." 

"  Heaven  bless  you  !  "  Then— what  strange 
influences  there  are  in  darkness  !— Jermyn  threw 
his  arms  about  Kate  and  kissed  her. 

Some  student  of  love  has  said  that  kisses  gain 
force  by  delay.  Jermyn's  was  the  first  kiss  Kate 


144  TRIP  AND  TRIXY, 

Trewman  had  ever  received  from  a  man  who 
professed  to  love  her,  so  between  astonishment 
and  many  other  things  which  she  did  not  under 
stand  and  could  not  have  called  up  and  thought 
about  at  the  time  had  her  life  depended  upon  it, 
she  did  not  resist  the  kiss  nor  the  several  that 
followed  it. 

"  My  angel ! "  said  Jermyn.  "  You  will  be  my 
wife?" 

"  How  can  I  help  it  ? "  asked  Kate,  softly, 
"  after — after  what  has  happened  ?  " 

"  Hurrah  ! "  sounded  a  child's  voice  behind 
them. 

"Trixy!" 

"  I  didn't  mean  to  do  nothin',  "  the  child  ex 
plained.  "  I  was  just  walkin'  along  behind  you. 
'cause  you  both  looked  so  splendid,  and  walked 
so  nice  together,  but  when  you  kissed  eacn 
other " 

"  Trixy ! "  exclaimed  Kate,  "  I  did  nothing  of 
the  sort ! " 

"  Didn't  you  ?  Then  I  don't  think  you  was 
very  polite." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE   COURAGE   OF  JOY. 

SOME  of  the  least  explicable  changes  of 
manner  are  the  most  genuine,  so  it  is  not 
necessary  to  assign  any  reason  for  the  fact  that 
on  the  way  back  to  the  hotel  Jermyn  and  Kate, 
who  had  both  been  under  considerable  restraint 
a  few  moments  before,  talked  as  freely  and  rap 
idly  as  if  they  had  been  acquainted  for  years. 
The  only  indication  that  there  was  more  than 
one  thought  between  them  was  the  care  with 
which  they  kept  Trixy  in  sight  and  reach,  so 
that  her  little  tongue  could  not  wag  until  it  had 
been  put  under  proper  curb  by  Trixy' s  mother. 
On  the  other  hand,  they  kept  her  far  enough 
from  them  for  her  not  to  overhear  anything  that 
they  were  saying  to  each  other,  and  their  fre 
quent  recalls,  whenever  the  child  attempted  to 
skip  or  run,  had  the  effect  of  soon  making  Trixy 
appear  as  if  she  were  a  prisoner  under  close 
guard. 

Even  when  the  hotel  was  reached  the  child 
was  kept  within  view  yet  out  of  hearing,  while 
Jermyn  and  Kate  sat  down  with  Trif.  Fortu 
nately  for  them,  Harry  and  Fenie  just  then 
thought  of  some  one  whom  they  wanted  to  find 
in  the  ball-room,  and  they  were  glad  of  some 
one  who  would  keep  Trif  from  being  alone. 


146  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

Jermyn  began  with  military  directness  by  say 
ing: 

"  Miss  Trewman,  may  I  ask  one  of  my  oldest 
friends  to  congratulate  me?  " 

"  Yes,"  Kate  replied,  "if  you  will  let  her  in 
clude  me  in  the  congratulations." 

"  Oh,  you  dear  people  ! "  exclaimed  Trif. 
"  There's  nothing  that  I  would  rather  have 
heard." 

"  You  don't  think  it  shockingly  sudden  ? " 
asked  Kate. 

"  Not  I — considering  what  either  of  you  might 
have  missed  by  delay." 

"  I  assure  you,"  said  Kate,  "  that  not  a  word 
would  have  been  said  about  it  for  months — it  all 
came  so  suddenly— if  it  hadn't  been  for  Trixy." 

"  Where  is  that  child?  "  asked  Jermyn,  rising 
in  alarm  and  looking  in  every  direction 

"  She's  looking  at  her  dolls,"  Trif  replied. 
"  No,  she  isn't.  Dear  me  !  I  arranged  those 
dolls  for  her  on  a  chair  not  ten  minutes  ago." 

"  Not  ten  minutes  ago  ? "  asked  Jermyn 
dreamily. 

"  It  seems  ten  hours  ago — ten  days,"  whis 
pered  Kate  dreamily. 

"  My  dear  children,"  said  Trif,  although  Kate 
was  only  three  years  younger  than  she  and  Jer 
myn  was  older  by  several  years,  "you  ought  to 
be  the  happiest  people  alive,  except  Phil  and  I ; 
but  to  keep  the  matter  to  ourselves  for  a  while, 
if  only  to  divert  attention  and  prevent  imperti 
nent  curiosity  while  Kate  is  down  here — you 
know  how  some  of  the  best  of  people  will  talk — 
don't  tell  any  one — although  I'm  sure  that  I 


THE  COURAGE  OF  JOY.  147 

must  tell  Fenie,  who  can't  help  telling  Harry, 
but  no  one  else  need  know." 

"  But,  my  dear  madam,"  said  Jermyn,  once 
more  rising  and  peering  earnestly  in  every  direc 
tion,  "  your  interesting  daughter  already  knows. 
I  do  wish  I  knew  where  to  look  for  her." 

"  Trixy  knows  ?  How  on  earth  did  she 
learn  ?" 

"  Tell  her — if  you  can,"  said  Kate  to  Jermyn. 

"  I  am  sure  that  you  would  do  it  more  grace 
fully,"  said  Jermyn. 

"  Oh,"  began  Kate,  "  we  were  walking  along 
the  beach,  talking  about — never  mind  what.  I 
hadn't  the  faintest  idea  how  far  we  were  from 
the  hotel,  and  the  first  thing  I  knew  we  were 
near  the  lighthouse,  and  I  didn't  know  that  any 
one  else  was  anywhere  near  us — indeed,  I  didn't 
think.  Just  then  Mr.  Jermyn — oh,  the  artfulness 
of  some  men — Mr.  Jermyn — he " 

"  He  suddenly  recognized  Miss  Trewman  as 
his  superior  officer  for  all  time,  and  he  made  the 
salute  which  custom  has  sanctioned  for  such 
occasions,"  interrupted  Jermyn. 

"  Very  gracefully  done,"  murmured  Kate  with 
a  tender  look. 

"  What  ? — the  salute  ?  Your  remark  encour 
ages  me  to — 

''  No,  you  horrid  fellow;  the  explanation." 

"  But  what  has  this  to  do  with  Trixy  ?"  asked 
Trif. 

"  Only  this  ;  it  seems  that  she  had  been  fol 
lowing  us  all  the  while,  and  she  heard  it." 

Trif  pursed  her  lips  a  moment,  and  laughed 
before  she  said : 


148  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

"  I  suppose  that  soldiers  are  so  accustomed  to 
noisy  salutes  that  they  don't  always  think " 

"Oh,  said  Kate,  "I'm  sure  she  didn't  hear 
the  kiss,  because  I  didn't,  and  I  think — oh, 
Trif,  you're  too  mean  for  anything  !  To  make 
me " 

"  I  think  I  made  some  remarks  afterward," 
said  Jermyn,  "but  they  were  interrupted  by  a 
shout  of  '  Hurrah,'  and  on  looking  around  we 
saw  Trixy." 

"  She  shan't  trouble  you  again !"  exclaimed 
Trif.  "  I'll  take  her  home — to-morrow." 

"  Please  don't !"  exclaimed  Kate. 

"  How  could  you  be  so  cruel  ?"  asked  Jermyn. 

"You  inconsistent,  incomprehensible  couple. 
A  moment  ago  you  were  complaining  that " 

"  But  havn't  you  any  mercy  for  Harry  and 
Fenie  ?"  asked  Kate.  "  They  are  so  ecstatically 
happy  here." 

"  Quite  right,  my  dear !"  said  Jermyn  gravely. 
"Harry  and  Fenie,  to  be  sure  !" 

"  But  they  can  see  each  other  in  New  York 
quite  as  well  as  if  they  were  here,"  argued  Trif. 

"  But  what  is  to  become  of  me  ?"  asked  Kate. 
"If  you  go  home,  Fenie  will  go  with  you,  and 
Harry  will  want  to  hurry  after,  and  I  can't  remain 
here  alone,  and  you  are  the  only  married  woman 
of  my  acquaintance  who  is  here,  and  who 
knows." 

"  My  dear  girl !  "  exclaimed  Trif.  "  I  beg  a 
thousand  pardons.  Let  me  see ;  what  can  I  do  ? 
I  don't  see  what,  except  to  caution  Trixy  very 
carefully;  and  as  she  is  the  most  conscientious 
little  thing  in  the  world,  and " 


THE  COURAGE  OF  JOY.  149 

"  And  the  leakiest,"  added  Kate. 

"  Be  quiet,  Kate  !  I  won't  have  the  dear  child 
maligned.  She  never  tells  anything  she  is 
ordered  not  to — unless  she  is  asked.  I  shall 
tell  her  that  she  will  make  great  unhappiness 
for  two  people  who  love  her  dearly  if  she  says 
anything  to  anybody  about  anything  which  she 
has  heard  or — ahem  ! — seen  this  evening.  Of 
course,  no  one  will  question  her,  for  no  one  has 
any  reason  to  suspect  anything,  and,  of  course, 
nothing  in  the  manner  of  either  of  you  will  give 
any  ground  for  curiosity." 

" 'Twould  be  awful  —  simply  too  awful," 
moaned  Kate,  "  if  anyone  should  learn  what  has 
happened  on  so  short  acquaintance.  Beside, 
I'd  be  the  principal  sufferer,  whereas  it  wasn't 
in  the  least  particular  my  fault." 

"  'Twas  all  your  fault,  my  dear,"  protested 
Jermyn.  "  If  you  hadn't  been  the  most  incom 
parable  woman  in  all  the  world " 

"  Please  don't  forget,"  interrupted  Kate,  "that 
we  are  not  alone." 

"  I'll  take  Trixy  aside  at  once,"  said  Trif, 
"and  caution  her  thoroughly." 

"  You  will  make  us  everlastingly  your  debtors," 
said  Jermyn.  "  Let  me  find  her  for  you." 

While  the  young  man  was  absent,  the  two 
women  talked  as  rapidly  and  earnestly  and 
ecstatically  as  only  women  can  talk  about  the 
most  important  event — but  one — that  can  befall 
one  of  their  sex.  Almost  as  soon  as  Jermyn 
returned  with  the  child,  an  orderly  from  the 
fort  appeared  with  the  word  that  the  officer  was 
wanted  at  his  company  quarters,  so  Jermyn  bade 
a  reluctant  adieu,  and  hurried  away. 


ISO  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

As  he  passed  through  the  postern  gate  of  the 
fort,  he  met  an  officer  who  seemed  to  be  looking 
for  some  one,  and  who  exclaimed : 

"  Hurry  along,  old  fellow !  Every  one  is  wait 
ing  impatiently." 

"  Every  one  waiting  ?    What  has  happened  ? " 

"  You'll  learn  in  a  moment." 

"  Has  some  high  government  official  died,  and 
are  all  the  troops  at  the  fort  to  attend  the 
funeral  ? " 

"  No  such  bad  luck ;  at  any  rate,  you  won't 
have  to  go  into  mourning."  So  saying,  the 
officer  led  Jermyn  into  the  club,  where  the 
wondering  man  found  several  officers  of  his  own 
rank,  and  all  bachelors.  As  Jermyn  entered,  all 
arose,  with  glasses  in  their  hands,  and  one  of 
them  shouted  : 

"  Here's  Jermyn  !  " 

"Jermyn!"  shouted  the  others  in  chorus, 
after  which  each  man  drained  his  glass  and 
refilled  it.  Then  some  one  shouted  : 

"  Hats,  off  gentlemen  !     Here's  '  Her  ! '  " 

"  Her  !  "  responded  the  chorus,  and  again  the 
glasses  were  drained. 

"  What  are  you  fellows  talking  about  ?  "  asked 
Jermyn,  with  a  savage  frown. 

"  Don't  lose  your  temper,  old  fellow,"  said  one 
of  the  party.  "  You  know  that  we're  not  given  to 
prying  into  the  personal  affairs  of  our  comrades, 
but  this  information  came  to  us  unsought." 

"  Not  only  unsought,"  said  Lieutenant  Prew- 
ser,  "but  we  did  all  in  our  power  to  avoid  get 
ting  it — didn't  we,  Groston  ? " 

"  Indeed  we  did.     We   tried  to  change  the 


THE  COURAGE  OF  JOY.  151 

subject  of  conversation,  or,  more  properly  speak 
ing,  of  report,  but  she  wouldn't  have  it.  She 
got  back  to  it  every  time,  and  she  stuck  to  it 
until  she  had  her  say." 

"  She  ?    Who  ? " 

"Trixy." 

"  Heavens  !  "  muttered  Jermyn,  while  his  face 
became  very  red. 

"  The  accused  displays  the  customary  sign  of 
guilt,''  remarked  the  oldest  officer  of  the  party. 

"  Really,  Jermyn,''  said  Prewser,  "  I  never  met 
anyone  who  was  more  determined  to  talk.  If 
I'd  been  alone  I  wouldn't  have  said  anything 
about  it,  but  as  there  were  three  of  us,  and  we 
all  tried  to  dis*uade  her,  and  she  persisted  in 
offering  circumstantial  evidence — ahem  ! — too 
strong  to  be  set  aside,  we  thought  it  only  fair 
that  we,  who  have  fought  and  bled  and  died 
with  you,  or  expect  to  do  so,  should  be  the  first 
to  congratulate  you.  To  think  of  all  the  women 
who've  angled  for  you,  yet  whom  you've  es 
caped  !  And  you've  made  such  a  glorious  cap 
ture,  too  !  If  we  hadn't  agreed  that  there  should 
be  only  two  toasts  on  this  happy  occasion,  I 
should  be  in  favor  of  our  drinking  also  to 
Trixy." 

"  Confound  her  !  "  exclaimed  Jermyn,  thinking 
only  of  Kate's  feelings  should  Trixy  have  talked 
further  before  he  captured  her  and  led  her  to 
her  mother,  "are  you  fellows  so  foolish  as  to 
attach  any  importance  to  what  a  child  like  that 
may  say  ?  " 

"  Does  the  accused  desire  that  the  evidence 
shall  be  reviewed,  item  by  item,  in  his  pres- 


152  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

ence  ?  "  asked  some  one.  "  Only  three  of  us 
have  heard  it,  but  if  the  accused  himself  in 
sists " 

"  Be  quiet ! "  Jermyn  roared. 

"  Your  secret  is  safe  with  us,  old  fellow,"  said 
Prewser,  "  as  you  know  well,  so  forgive  us  if 
we've  been  a  little  effusive  in  our  rejoicing  for 
your  sake.  Go  to  your  quarters  and  to  happy 
dreams.  Jove  !  how  I  envy  you  ! '' 

"  So — so  say  we  all  of  us,"  repeated  the  others 
in  unison,  as  Jermyn  beat  a  hasty  retreat. 

The  miseries  which  Jermyn  wished  Trixy  dur 
ing  the  short  walk  from  the  club  to  his  quarters 
quite  out-H eroded  Herod.  Once  fairly  by  him 
self,  however,  his  joy  banished  his  anger.  Let 
the  boys  laugh  among  themselves  !  They  all 
envied  him  didn't  they  say  so  ?  How  could  he 
ever  sleep,  after  so  exciting  an  evening  ?  What 
had  he  ever  done  that  he  should  be  so  richly 
blessed  as  he  would  be  with  Kate  Trewman  for 
his  wife  ? 

There  must  have  been  a  special  Providence 
watching  over  him  in  other  days  when  he 
thought  himself  in  love,  even  when  he  failed  to 
win  Tryphosa  Wardlow,  and,  within  a  few  days 
—  how  long  passed  they  seemed  ! — when  he 
could  not  keep  the  face  of  Trif's  pretty  sister 
out  of  his  mind,  and  wouldn't  have  done  so  if  he 
could  ! 

But  how  very  long  the  coming  night  would 
be !  He  had  known  long  nights  while  on  picket, 
when  his  battery  was  on  duty  in  the  Indian 
country  and  he  had  looked  forward  to  them 
with  dread,  but  now  there  would  be  twelve 


THE  COURAGE  OF  JOY.  153 

hours,  at  the  very  least,  before  he  could  again 
gaze  upon  the  face  of  the  woman  who  was  all 
the  world  to  him.  What  could  he  do  to  pass 
the  time  ?  Study  ?— bosh  !  Read  ?  No ;  he 
must  sleep,  for  he  owed  it  to  Kate  to  appear  his 
very  best  the  next  day.  Still,  it  was  only  ten 
o'clock ;  he  never  retired  before  eleven.  He 
would  read  a  little  while ;  read  some  poetry — 
something  he  had  done  but  little  in  late  years. 

He  had  read  but  a  few  minutes  when  there 
was  a  knock  at  the  door  and  a  servant  handed 
him  a  letter  addressed  in  writing  which  he  did 
not  recognize.  He  opened  it  and  read  : 

We  return  to  New  York  by  the  morning  train. 
You  had  scarcely  left  us  when  two  ladies  whom  I've 
known  only  two  or  three  days  came  to  tell  me  how 
glad  they  were  of  the  news.  When  I  learned  what 
they  meant  I  expressed  surprise,  but  they  said  that 
every  one  in  the  hotel  knew  of  it — some  one  had 
overheard  Trixy  talking  of  it  to  two  or  three  offi 
cers.  That  child ! 

Sorrowfully, 

KATE. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  WOOING  O'  IT. 

'""THERE  was  a  lot  of  misery — four  rooms  full 
1  of  it — when  Kate  Trewman  announced  to 
the  High  wood  party  and  her  brother  that  she 
could  never,  never,  never  again  face  the  gossips 
and  the  other  people  at  the  hotel  after  the  story 
of  her  engagement  had  got  about  with  the  infin 
ity  of  detail  which  Trixy  had  imparted  and  the 
additions  which  are  inevitable  when  a  story  is 
passed  from  lip  to  lip.  Trif  had  promised  to  go 
sailing  the  very  next  day  with  some  new  friends, 
Fenie  had  promised  several  dances  for  the 
"Ladies'  Night"  at  the  fort,  which  would  be 
the  next  night  but  one,  and  Harry  and  Fenie 
had  agreed  to  make  a  little  trip  which  Harry 
thought  would  be  peculiarly  delightful,  and 
Fenie  agreed  with  him,  although  she  did  not 
know  why. 

But  Kate  was  obdurate.  She  admitted  to 
Trif  that  she  loved  Jermyn  dearly,  strange 
though  it  might  seem,  but  for  that  very  reason 
her  self-respect  was  stronger  than  ever,  and 
although  she  could  endure  anything  for  her  own 
sake  she  was  not  willing  that  anything  should 
occur,  or  that  anything  which  had  occurred, 
should  make  the  dear  fellow  laughed  at  and 
(i54) 


THE  WOOING  O'  IT.  155 

talked  about.  People  were  so  mean !  Who 
knew  but  some  one  would  say  that  she  had  tried 
to  catch  him,  and  succeeded  ?  The  idea ! 

"  But  Kate,"  argued  Trif,  "there's  no  need  of 
your  being  seen  if  you'll  consent  to  remain  a 
day  or  two  longer.  You've  only  to  remain  in 
your  room  while  I  make  my  sailing  trip  with  my 
friends,  and  Harry  and  Fenie  have  their  little 
outing.  You  won't  be  alone ;  think  of  the  de 
lightful  thoughts  that  will  keep  you  company! 
The  day  after  my  trip  I'll  make  a  special 
luncheon  in  my  room,  in  honor  of  the  happy 
couple,  and  it  will  be  entirely  right,  as  your 
brother  will  bring  Jermyn.  You  certainly 
couldn't  be  so  heartless  as  to  depart  without 
seeing  him  once  more,  and  without  letting  him 
see  you." 

"  Do  you  think  it  would  be  heartless — do  you 
think  it  would  seem  so  to  him  ?" 

"  It  certainly  would,  to  him  or  to  any  other 
good  man,  under  the  circumstances,"  Trif  re 
plied,  with  extreme  New  England  positiveness. 

"Then  I  will  remain,"  said  Kate;  upon  which 
Trif  kissed  her  and  called  her  a  dear  good  girl, 
and  Fenie  kissed  her  and  called  her  a  sensible 
girl,  and  Harry  kissed  her  and  said  she  was  a 
good  sister,  and  Trixy  offered  to  kiss  her  but 
was  rudely  pushed  away. 

Jermyn  knew  nothing  of  this  conversation. 
He  had  done  much  desperate  thinking  after  re. 
ceiving  Kate's  note,  and  one  consequence  was 
that  he  looked  across  the  parade  ground,  saw 
that  lights  were  still  burning  in  the  adjutant's 
office  and  the  home  of  the  post  commandant,  so 


156  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

he  hurried  over  to  the  adjutant  and  made  an 
application  for  leave  of  absence  for  a  week,  on 
important  personal  business.  The  post  adjutant 
looked  astonished,  for  leaves  of  absence  in  the 
army  are  charged  against  the  month's  leave 
which  each  officer  is  allowed  once  a  year  in  time 
of  peace,  and  the  adjutant  knew  well  that  Jer- 
myn  had  been  carefully  "  saving  his  time  "  for 
a  month's  run  to  the  Pacific  Coast  during  the 
coming  summer.  Still,  Jermyn  pleaded  urgency, 
and  begged  for  an  immediate  decision ;  and  the 
post  commandant,  who  was  a  large-hearted 
gentleman,  and  also  a  close  observer  of  the 
individual  members  of  his  command,  granted 
the  leave ;  so  the  next  morning,  very  early,  before 
any  one  at  the  hotel  was  stirring,  Jermyn  invaded 
a  lighthouse  boat  which  he  knew  was  to  go  to 
Norfolk  very  early.  His  plan  was  to  get  upon 
the  steamer  which  started  from  Norfolk  for  the 
train,  miles  away,  touching  at  Old  Point  en  route. 
Neither  Kate  nor  her  brother  should  know  of 
his  proximity  until  the  train  started ;  after  that, 
— well,  Kate  could  not  be  other  than  the  woman 
he  thought  her,  so  she  would  be  glad  to  see 
him,  and  her  brother,  beside  being  a  gentleman, 
was  himself  in  love  ;  so  he  would  certainly  give 
the  couple  some  opportunities  for  conversation 
during  the  trip  to  New  York. 

While  this  was  going  on,  the  Admiral,  who 
had  been  somewhat  upset  by  his  exciting 
experience  of  two  or  three  preceding  days, 
and  had  been  restoring  himself  by  a  veteran 
seaman's  favorite  remedy,  rest,  got  out  of  his 
room  very  early,  and  sauntered  about  the  beach 


THE  WOOING  O'  IT.  157 

in  search  of  a  proper  appetite  for  breakfast.  It 
did  not  help  him  much  to  meet  Jermyn  and 
hear  the  young  man's  story  of  disappointment, 
yet  he  heartily  approved  of  the  fellow's  spirit 
and  wished  him  the  happy  time  which  undoubt 
edly  would  be  his.  The  excitement  caused  by 
the  interview  gave  the  old  gentleman  the  appe 
tite  for  which  he  longed,  so  he  went  in  at  once 
to  breakfast,  at  which  he  lingered  long. 

As  he  sat  at  table,  the  train-boat  from  Norfolk 
came  in,  and  the  Admiral  looked  through  the 
window  toward  the  pier,  hoping  for  a  glimpse  of 
Kate.  Evidently  she  had  escaped  him,  for  she 
was  not  with  any  of  the  parties  which  moved 
down  from  the  hotel ;  probably  she  was  already 
in  the  crowd,  which  always  is  an  hour  in  advance 
of  starting  time,  and  he  did  not  like  to  bid  a 
lady  good-by  when  there  were  all  sorts  of  people 
around  to  hear  what  was  said. 

As  the  boat  cast  off  and  started  for  Cape 
Charles,  the  southern  terminus  of  the  railway, 
the  old  gentleman  raised  his  coffee-cup  to  his 
lips,  and  murmured  : 

"  God  bless  them  !  " 

"  Who's  you  a-blessin'  ?  "  asked  Trixy,  who 
had  entered  the  breakfast-room  and  had  been 
moving  by  circuitous  lines  to  "  s'prise "  the 
Admiral. 

"  Why,  Trixy  !  Good  morning  !  I've  not  seen 
you  for  several  days.  Do  sit  down  and  take 
some  breakfast  with  me.  Tell  me  some  news/' 

"  There  ain't  no  news,"  said  Trixy.  "  Yes  there 
is,  too;  but  mamma  says  I  mustn't  ever  tell  any 
more  news  until  I'm  a  big  woman.  And  I  can't 


158  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

take  breakfast  just  now,  'cause  I  just  was  sent 
down  to  ask  the  waiter  to  send  Miss  Trewman's 
breakfast  up  to  her  room,  'specially  a  cup  of 
coffee." 

"  Miss  Trewman's  breakfast?  Why — Miss 
Trewmanhas  gone  to  New  York." 

"  Oh,  no,  she  hasn't.  She  changed  her  mind. 
Mamma  made  her  do  it." 

"  Trixy,  do  you  mean  to  say,"  asked  the  Admi 
ral,  as  he  arose  hastily  from  the  table,  "  that  Miss 
Trewman  isn't  on  the  boat  which  started  for  the 
train  at  Cape  Charles?" 

"  I  mean  to  say  she's  up  in  her  room,"  Trixy 
replied,  "for  I  just  came  from  there  and  I  saw 
her.  She  said  she  wanted  that  coffee  awfully, 
too,so  I  mustn't  wait  any  longer  to  see  the  waiter; 
but  I'll  come  back  in  a  minute  and  take  some 
breakfast  with  you,  if  you  like." 

"  Ah  — er,"  stammered  the  Admiral,  who  had 
been  thinking  rapidly  and  looking  at  the  light 
house  tug,  which  was  already  steaming  back 
from  Norfolk,  "  suppose  we  hold  the  engagement 
over  until  to-morrow  morning  ?  The  truth  is, 
I've  practically  finished  my  own  breakfast,  so  I 
wouldn't  be  proper  company.  Besides,  I've  just 
thought  of  something  which  ought  to  be  attended 
to  this  instant." 

"  All  right,"  said  Trixy.  "I'm  goin'  to  have 
one  comp'ny  meal  to-day  anyway,  cause  mam 
ma's  goin'  to  give  a  splendid  little  dinner  in  her 
room  to  Miss  Trewman  and  Mr.  Jermyn." 

"  Indeed  !  Excuse  me,  my  dear,  but  I  must 
hurry." 

The  Admiral  hurried  out  of  the  room,  and, 


THE  WOOING  O  IT.  159 

despite  his  years  and  his  dignity,  ran  toward 
"  The  Hole,"  a  sheltered  portion  of  the  harbor 
where  small  craft  usually  anchored.  He  got  as 
near  as  possible  to  the  lighthouse  tug,  and  waved 
his  handkerchief  violently.  Just  as  the  anchor 
of  the  tug  dropped,  a  sailor  reported  to  the  offi 
cer  in  charge : 

"  Signal  from  the  shore,  sir ! " 

"  Don't  notice  it,"  was  the  reply,  made  gruffly. 
"  Hang  the  impertinence  of  some  of  these  spring 
visitors." 

"  Yes,  sir.  I  think  it's  Admiral  Allison  a-sig- 
nallin',  sir." 

"  Ah,  that's  different !  Lower  away !  I'll  go 
ashore  for  him." 

The  tug's  boat  had  scarcely  touched  the  beach 
when  the  Admiral  gave  the  prow  a  mighty  shove 
and  shouted,  "  Shove  off  !  Give  way  !  "  first 
wetting  his  feet  thoroughly.  Then  he  sprang 
like  a  cat  from  thwart  to  thwart  until  he  got  aft 
and  dropped  beside  the  astonished  officer,  whis 
pering  : 

"  Charley,  you  were  at  the  Naval  Academy 
while  I  was  on  duty  there  !  " 

"  Yes,  Admiral,  and  you  were  the  best  friend 
I  ever  had  there.  I  couldn't  have  pulled  through 
if  it  hadn't  been  for  you,  as  you  well  know  !  " 

"  I'm  glad  you  think  so,  my  dear  boy,  for  I 
want  some  special  help  from  you  to-day.  Up 
anchor,  and  let  me  catch  that  train  for  New 
York." 

"  Why,  Admiral,  you  know  what  a  slow  old 
tub  this  is,  and  we've  been  blowing  off  steam." 

"  Never  mind.     Help  me  to  catch  that  train. 


160  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

Burn  out  a  boiler,  if  necessary,  and  charge  it  to 
me.  I'll  stand  a  court-martial  rather  than  lose 
that  train." 

Within  five  minutes  the  tug  was  rounding  the 
pier  in  front  of  the  hotel  and  the  Admiral  was 
compounding  a  prescription  which  is  highly 
esteemed  at  sea  by  elderly  gentlemen  who  are 
suffering  from  great  excitement  and  wet  feet. 
Black  smoke  poured  so  densely  from  the  boat's 
single  funnel  that  a  naval  officer  who  was  enjoy 
ing  a  brief  outing  at  the  hotel  and  had  got  out 
of  bed  early  to  enjoy  as  much  as  possible  of  it, 
told  his  wife  that  probably  a  buoy  had  strayed 
from  its  moorings  somewhere  and  some  sea- 
captain  had  been  complaining  by  telegraph  to 
the  authorities  at  Washington. 

The  chase  was  a  hard  one;  the  train-boat  had 
fully  ten  minutes  the  start  of  the  tug,  but  the 
Admiral,  who  stood  forward  ready  to  hurry 
ashore,  remarked  that  it  usually  took  fully  ten 
minutes  to  get  all  the  passengers,  luggage  and 
freight  from  the  boat  to  the  train.  When  finally 
he  went  over  the  side  he  said  : 

"  Charley,  keep  your  eye  on  the  rear  platform. 
If  I  wave  my  handkerchief  you'll  know  I'm 
safely  aboard.  Then  wait  as  long  as  the  train 
does ;  if  it  starts  at  once,  steam  along  up  the  bay 
until  you  see  it  stop.  I'll  get  the  conductor  to- 
pull  up  and  let  us  off." 

"  Us  ?" 

"Yes;  Jermyn  and  me." 

It  was  none  of  the  young  officer's  business,  as 
he  told  himself,  but  he  could  not  help  wondering 
what  was  up  between  the  Admiral  and  Jermyn, 


THE  WOOING  O'  IT.  161 

He  saw  the  old  gentleman  scramble  upon  the 
rear  platform  of  the  last  car,  and  at  that  very 
instant  the  train  started,  so  the  tug's  nose  was 
put  up  Chesapeake  Bay,  while  her  commander 
told  himself  that  the  chasing  of  a  big  ferry  boat 
by  a  small  tug  was  a  sort  of  service  for  which 
boats  of  the  lighthouse  service  were  not  designed, 
and  that  the  next  time  the  Admiral  wanted  any 
thing  of  the  sort  done,  and  wanted  a  locomotive 
chased  afterward,  he  hoped  there  would  be  a 
torpedo  boat  in  the  harbor. 

Meanwhile  the  Admiral  was  making  his  way 
through  the  train  in  search  of  Jermyn,  while  the 
latter,  moving  from  front  to  rear,  was  looking 
for  Kate.  The  two  men  met  suddenly  in  the 
vestibule  between  two  cars. 

"Admiral !"  exclaimed  Jermyn.  "Are  you  too 
going  to  New  York  ?" 

"Not  this  time,  dear  boy.  Neither  are  you. 
She's  changed  her  mind — Miss  Trewman — she's 
still  at  the  hotel.  Where's  the  conductor? 
Hang  it,  Charley  will  never  be  able  to  catch  us 
if  we  go  on  at  this  rate.  Where's  the  bell- 
rope?" 

The  old  gentleman,  who  was  quite  short, 
sprang  lightly  upward,  blew  two  long  blasts,  and 
the  train  began  to  slow.  The  Admiral  opened 
the  vestibule  door  and  said : 

"  Come  on  !     We'll  have  to  jump." 

Jump  they  did,  and  into  some  Eastern  Shore 
mud  which  did  not  harmonize  with  the  attire  of 
either  gentleman.  As  they  floundered  out  of  it, 
screened  from  the  train  by  some  scrubby  bushes, 
the  tug,  which  had  heard  the  locomotive's  stop- 


162  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

ping  signal,  blew  three  long  blasts  of  her  own 
whistle.  Long  before  she  steamed  abreast  of 
the  part  of  the  beach  which  the  runaways  had 
reached,  the  Admiral  was  waving  his  handker 
chief  so  wildly  that  Jermyn  insisted  upon  reliev 
ing  him  to  spare  him  the  pangs  of  a  stiff  shoulder 
and  the  danger  of  apoplexy. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE   MISSING   GUEST. 

AS  Trif  was  a  prudent  wife  and  housekeeper, 
she  had  been  moaning  to  herself  for  days 
about  the  expense  of  the  Southern  trip.  Never 
theless,  she  arranged  for  a  lunch  party  regard 
less  of  expense,  as  befitted  an  occasion  when 
two  happy  couples,  newly  made  so,  were  to  be 
her  guests.  She  promised  herself  that  she 
would  pay  for  it  by  not  buying  a  single  new 
article  of  clothing,  not  even  a  new  frock,  for  the 
coming  season.  She  would  economize  in  any 
and  every  way ;  she  would  let  her  house,  fur 
nished,  for  a  few  months,  and  take  Trixy  and 
Fenie  and  herself  to  some  out-of-the-way  place 
where  everything  was  cheap,  and  the  other 
boarders  would  not  know  her  old  clothes  from 
the  newest.  Further,  as  she  would  have  to  send 
home  for  more  money,  she  sat  down  and  wrote 
an  ecstatic  confession  to  her  husband,  telling 
him  that  she  really  thought  it  her  duty,  as  a 
member  of  society,  to  complete  the  matches 
which  were  as  good  as  made  between  Harry 
and  Fenie,  Kate  and  Jermyn. 

Then  she  sent  to  Jermyn  such  a  note  as  only 
a  great-hearted,  good-hearted  woman  could  write, 
after  which  she  insisted  on  helping  to  array  Kate 
1163) 


1 64  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

as  a  queen  should  be  dressed  for  her  formal  cor 
onation.  She  was  as  earnest  as  she  was  senti 
mental,  so  she  talked  so  strongly  as  well  as 
romantically  to  Kate  that  the  latter  grew  sweeter 
and  handsomer  every  moment,  until  finally  she 
felt  as  if  the  occasion  would  be  one  of  consecra 
tion  instead  of  a  mere  meeting  with  the  man 
who  already  seemed  a  very  old  acquaintance. 

Trif  told  her  she  looked  like  a  goddess,  a  sac 
rifice,  an  angel,  a  queen — everything  a  good 
woman  could  be  while  trying  to  devote  her  love 
and  life  to  a  worthy  man.  Trif  had  been  telling 
her,  and  Kate  was  in  a  condition  of  mind  to 
believe  it,  that  marriages  were  made  in  heaven, 
and  despite  all  future  ceremonies  that  might  be 
necessary  her  obligations  were  already  recorded 
above,  and  Kate  rose  to  the  dignity  of  the  oc 
casion,  and  looked  sweeter  and  felt  happier, 
although  more  humble  and  earnest  than  in  all 
her  life  before,  for  were  not  all  who  were  to  be 
present  quite  near  to  her?— her  brother,  who 
seemed  in  the  seventh  heaven  of  happiness; 
Fenie,  who  appeared  almost  too  beautiful,  in 
her  happiness  and  devotion,  to  be  merely  hu 
man  ;  Trif,  the  woman  who  had  known  love  for 
years  and  rejoiced  in  it  with  a  nobility  surpass 
ing  that  of  any  other  woman  Kate  had  ever  met; 
and  Trixy — oh,  Kate  could  take  even  Trixy  to 
her  heart.  Mischief-making  though  the  child 
had  been,  Trixy's  hands  and  no  others  should 
strew  flowers  when  the  day  came  for  Kate  and 
Jermyn  to  be  made  husband  and  wife.  What 
a  heaven  on  earth  this  much-abused  old  world 
was,  to  be  sure  ! 


THE  MISSING  GUEST.  165 

"  Oh,  Kate,"  exclaimed  Trif,  reappearing  for 
about  the  twentieth  time,  "  what  do  you  suppose 
it  can  mean?  Before  breakfast  I  wrote  Jermyn, 
asking  him  to  lunch  with  us  at  noon,  and  I've 
just  received  word  that  he  is  not  at  the  fort.  He 
has  gone  away — gone  to  New  York." 

Kate  almost  tottered,  so  Trif  hurried  to  sup 
port  her.  Suddenly  Kate  changed  her  manner 
and  exclaimed : 

"  What  a  grand  fellow  he  is  !" 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?''  asked  Trif,  almost 
doubting  her  own  senses.  Kate  looked  proud, 
then  pensive,  after  which  she  said  softly : 

"  Last  night  I  sent  him  word  of  what  had 
happened — the  remarks  of  those  inquisitive 
women,  you  know,  who  got  hold  of  what  Trixy 
had  said,  and  I  told  him  it  would  be  necessary 
for  me  to  return — that  I  would  go  to  New  York 
this  morning.  He  has  started  at  once  to  follow 
me.  I  might  have  imagined,  in  advance,  that  he 
would  do  exactly  that.  The  splendid  fellow  !" 

"  The  unhappy  fellow,  I  should  say,"  wailed 
Trif.  "  There  he  goes,  probably  on  the  very 
train  he  supposed  you  would  take,  and  he  is 
looking  for  you,  and  his  heart  is  aching  as  if " 

"  Oh  !"  gasped  Kate,  with  the  manner  of  a 
tragedy  queen.  "  I  never,  never  thought  of  that." 

"  De  lunch  is  served,  ladies,"  said  the  colored 
waiter  who  had  been  busying  himself  in  the 
room  for  some  moments. 

'•  Come  along,  dear,"  said  Trif.  "  If  you 
love  him  as  I  loved  Phil  the  day  after  he  pro 
posed  you'll  have  him  in  your  heart  very  safely, 
no  matter  how  far  away  he  may  be.  The  more 


166  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

trouble  you  think  him  in,  the  dearer  you  will 
love  him.  As  to  the  rest  of  us,  we  will  promise 
to  talk  of  him  only." 

"  Indeed,  yes,"  added  Fenie,  who  had  heard 
the  unwelcome  news,  and  hastened  to  offer  con 
solation.  "  I  won't  say  a  word  about  any  one 
else — even  about  Harry." 

"  Neither  will  I,"  volunteered  Trixy,  who  had 
followed  her  aunt  into  the  room.  "  He " 

"  You  little — "  interrupted  Kate,  moving 
toward  the  child  with  vengeful  gesture,  but  Trixy 
continued : 

"  He  looked  so  splendid  last  night  when  he 
kissed  you  that  I  haven't  thought  of  anythin' 
since  except  the  way  papa  kisses  mamma." 

Then  both  women  blushed,  and  Fenie  looked 
so  oddly  at  Harry  that  the  young  man  blushed 
too,  but  recovered  sufficiently  to  ask  Fenie 
whether  they  shouldn't  set  the  others  a  good 
example  by  leading  the  way  to  the  table. 
Although  very  little  time  elapsed  before  the 
remainder  of  the  party  followed  them,  Fenie  was 
found  with  brilliant  roses  in  her  cheeks,  while 
upon  her  finger  was  a  ring  which  none  of  the 
party  but  Harry  had  ever  seen  before,  and 
Harry  was  looking  as  proud  as  a  king,  and 
Fenie  was  regarding  him  as  if  she  were  his 
most  adoring  and  obedient  subject. 

"  If  my  loss,"  said  Kate  gayly,  after  several 
significant  glances  from  Trif  had  compelled  her 
to  see  the  brilliant  upon  Fenie's  hand,  "  has 
been  to  the  gain  of  any  one  else,  or  even  to  two 
other  people,  I  shall  endeavor  to  endure  it 
bravely.  I've  always  been  sacrificing  myself 


THE  MISSING  GUEST.  167 

for  my  brother ;  I  shall  be  glad  if  my  long  vigil 
is  to  end." 

So  the  party  became  quite  happy  despite  the 
missing  guest,  and  there  was  so  much  of  the 
merry  joking  that  brothers  and  sisters  can  ex 
change  that  Fenie  and  Harry  soon  began  to 
talk  as  if  they  had  been  engaged  for  months 
instead  of  moments.  And  how  Trif,  the  happy 
wife,  and  Kate,  the  proud  betrothed,  did  enjoy 
the  spectacle  !  Kate,  indeed,  soon  began  to 
hold  herself  to  account  for  forgetting  absolutely, 
for  at  least  half  an  hour,  the  loyal  soul  that  was 
vainly  following  her  and  might  not  be  able  to 
find  her  until -when?  She  became  very  pen 
sive  and  thoughtful;  Harry  must  find  out  for 
her,  at  the  fort,  if  possible,  how  to  communicate 
with  Jermyn.  She  would  remain  at  the  hotel, 
be  stared  at,  talked  about,  anything,  if  only  that 
the  man  who  loved  her  should  not  remain  un 
happy  a  single  moment  longer  than  was  abso 
lutely  necessary.  She  thought  so  seriously  that 
Trixy  finally  remarked : 

"  Mamma,  dear,  I  don't  believe  Miss  Trew- 
man  likes  this  kind  of  lobster." 

"  Card  for  you,  ma'am,"  said  the  waiter  sud 
denly  to  Trif. 

Trif  took  the  card  and  read  aloud : 

"Admiral  Allison;  'just  for  a  moment.' 
How  odd  !  Perhaps,  Kate,  'tis  something  about 
Jermyn.  You  may  say  I'll  be  down  in  a  mo 
ment." 

"  He's  right  outside  de  do',  ma'am,"  the  waiter 
replied. 

"  The  business-like  way  of  some  men  !  "  ex- 


i68  TRIP  AND  TRIXY, 

claimed  Trif .  "  Still,  it  must  be  something  im 
portant.  By  the  way,  girls,  the  Admiral  is  a 
delightful  gentleman,  and  he  knows  the  two 
secrets  that  are  in  our  hearts  to-day,  and  we 
have  a  vacant  place  at  the  table— show  him  in, 
waiter." 

The  party  arose.  The  Admiral  entered  the 
room,  and  behind  him  came 

"  Jermyn  !  "  shouted  Kate.  How  ridiculously 
thin  armor  is  when  there  is  a  healthy  heart  un 
der  it !  Kate  rushed  at  Jermyn,  threw  her  arms 
about  him,  and  kissed  him  as  affectionately  as 
if  he  were  a  long-lost  relation. 

"  How  did  you  come  to  be  here  ?  "  she  finally 
asked. 

"  The  Admiral  brought  me,"  Jermyn  replied. 

Then,  shocking,  yet  truthful  to  relate,  Kate 
kissed  the  Admiral  also.  She  was  the  taller  of 
the  two,  so  she  had  to  lean  over  him,  but  no 
one  laughed  or  seemed  astonished — no  one  but 
Trixy,  who  exclaimed,  "  My ! "  but  no  notice 
was  taken  of  it. 

"  Ladies  and  gentleman,"  said  the  Admiral, 
gravely,  after  the  excitement  had  subsided  a 
little,  and  he  stood  with  a  lappel  of  his  coat 
drawn  back  while  he  drew  from  his  pocket  a 
medal  which  hung  from  a  clasp,  "  I  thought 
when  this  medal  was  presented  to  me  by  my 
country  that  I  had  gained  the  highest  honor  of 
which  an  American  was  capable,  but  I  am  now 
compelled  to  change  my  opinion.  Miss  Trew- 
man,  the  goddess  of  liberty  will  hereafter  owe 
you  a  grudge." 

"But,  Admiral,"  said  Kate,  all  blushes  and 


THE  MISSING  GUEST.  169 

brilliancy,  "  how  could  you  know  that  he  had 
gone,  and  that— that— oh,  that  I  wanted  him 
back?" 

"  Oh,  I  chanced  to  meet  him,  very  early  this 
morning,  learned  that  he  was  going,  and  the 
reason  of  his  sudden  departure." 

"  And  you  prevented  him  ? " 

"  How  could  I  ?  He  said  that  you  had  gone 
unexpectedly,  and  that  he  thought  it  his  duty 
to  follow  you.  I  should  have  felt  as  he  did, 
in  similar  circumstances,  so  I  bade  him  God 
speed." 

"  But  he  started.     I  don't " 

"  I  did,  my  dear,"  said  Jermyn,  "  but  the  Ad 
miral,  with  a  special  boat,  chased  our  craft  and 
the  train,  found  me,  stopped  the  train,  and 
brought  me  back,  and — here  I  am." 

"  Oh,  you  are,  indeed !  Admiral,  you're  an 
angel." 

The  Admiral  bowed  profoundly  and  said : 

"  I  cannot  contradict  a  lady." 

"  But  how  did  you  know — Oh,  do  explain 
what  I'm  sure  none  of  us  yet  understand." 

"  The  Spaniards  have  a  saying,''  the  old  gen 
tleman  replied,  "  that  fortunes,  like  miseries 
always  travel  in  couples.  While  I  was  break 
fasting  this  morning,  and  feeling  an  almost  im 
pertinent  interest,  I  must  confess,  in  the  affairs 
of  an  estimable  couple  who  seemed  to  have  en 
countered  contrary  winds,  Trixy " 

"  Trixy  ?  " 

"  Really,  Miss  Trewman,"  said  Trixy,  with  a 
troubled  yet  appealing  face,  "  I  didn't  tell  him 
anything  awful.  He  said  you'd  gone  to  New 


170  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

York,  and  I  said  he  was  mistaken,  'cause  mam 
ma  had  made  you  change  your  mind,  and  that 
mamma  was  goin'  to  give  a  luncheon  party  this 
mornin'  to  you  and  Mr.  Jermyn,  and — and— that 
was  all  I  said — wasn't  it,  Admiral  ?  " 

"  Absolutely  all.  Whatever  has  happened 
since  has  been  entirely  through  what  Trixy 
said." 

Then  Kate  kissed  Trixy,  and  told  her  that  she 
was  the  dearest  little  thing  that  ever  was  born, 
and  the  information  seemed  to  do  the  child  a  lot 
of  good.  Afterward  it  occurred  to  Kate  that 
the  man  who  had  been  the  principal  subject  of 
her  thoughts  during  the  day  was  getting  very 
little  of  her  attention,  and  as  the  Admiral  in 
sisted  upon  departing,  and  Harry  and  Fenie  had 
eyes  only  for  each  other,  and  Trif  seemed  en 
tirely  happy  with  no  one  to  talk  to,  the  meal 
passed  delightfully  although  slowly  to  its  close. 
When  general  conversation  chanced  again  to 
begin,  Fenie  remarked : 

"  It  does  seem  that  none  of  us  can  have  any 
more  misunderstandings.  There  never  would 
have  been  any  but  for  Trixy,  but  she  certainly 
can  do  no  harm  in  the  future." 

"  Trixy  certainly  has  learned  her  lesson,"  said 
Trif. 

"  Papa  says  that  some  folks  never  get  through 
with  their  lessons  till  they  die,"  observed  Trixy, 
while  all  the  rest  looked  serious. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

A   BLISSFUL   WEEK. 

THE  Highwoods  and  Trewmans  started  for 
New  York  a  few  hours  after  the  lunch-party 
ended,  and  Jermyn  accompanied  them.  He  had 
wanted  to  do  so,  from  the  first,  but  found  many 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  saying  so  ;  for  when 
women  are  intent  upon  a  journey  they  find  so 
much  to  do  and  talk  about  that  a  man,  no  matter 
how  dear  he  may  be  to  any  member  of  the  party, 
learns  to  his  mortification  that  there  are  times 
when  man  is  utterly  uninteresting  to  woman. 

Jermyn  finally  found  himself  so  manifestly  in 
the  way  that  he  begged  Trixy,  whose  dolls  were 
packed  within  ten  minutes  of  the  first  announce 
ment  of  the  impending  departure,  to  go  upon  the 
verandah  with  him  and  take  a  long  look  seaward. 
A  friend  of  his  had  been  promising  to  sail  a 
yacht  down  from  New  York,  and  the  verandah 
was  as  good  as  any  place  in  the  fort  from  which 
to  view  the  offing.  Besides,  the  Lieutenant  did 
not  care  to  be  seen  again  at  his  quarters.  He 
feared  that  a  secret  which  several  of  his  com 
rades  shared  with  him  might  not  be  as  safe  as 
it  should  be,  and  he  was  in  no  humor  to  be 
joked  about  the  most  serious  interest  of  his  life. 

In  the  angle  of  the  verandah  they  sat,  Jermyn 
(170 


172  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

and  Trixy,  the  child  looking  seaward  through 
her  mother's  opera-glass,  and  the  officer  looking 
into  the  sky,  his  thoughts  that  afternoon  having 
a  somewhat  heavenly  tinge. 

"  Oh,  I  believe  there's  the  yacht — way  out 
there !  Don't  you  see  it  ?  " 

"  Where  ?    What  ?  "  asked  Jermyn,  dreamily. 

"  Why,  the  yacht,  of  course.  Don't  you  see 
that  great  big  boat  with  lots  of  sails  !  That's 
the  way  yachts  are,  aint  it  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  so." 

"  You  don't  look  as  I  feel  when  folks  is  comin' 
to  see  me  ;  though,  to  be  sure,  they  don't  come 
in  yachts." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Trixy.  I  fear  I  was 
thinking  about  something  else." 

"  Say !  "  remarked  Trixy,  suddenly  dropping 
the  glass.  "Do  you  know  what  I  wish?  I 
wish  you  was  goin'  to  New  York  with  us." 

"  Trixy,"  said  Jermyn  earnestly,  "  so  do  I." 

"  Well,  why  don't  you  ?  " 

"  Hem !  I  suppose  it  is  because  I  haven't 
been  asked." 

"  That's  a  funny  reason  !  I  thought  big  men 
could  do  anything  they  wanted  to,  withont  any 
body  tellin'  'em  they  could  or  they  couldn't. 
When  I  get  to  be  a  big  woman,  mamma  says  I 
won't  have  to  ask  her  what  I  can  do  before  I  do 
it.  Won't  that  be  lovely  ?  " 

Jermyn  did  not  reply,  so  the  child  began  again 
to  scan  the  offing  with  the  glass.  Then  she 
wanted  to  do  something  else,  and  Jermyn  was 
reminded  amusingly  of  some  ways  of  his  sisters, 
when  those  estimable  women  were  very  young. 


A  BLISSFUL  WEEK.  173 

"  Say,"  remarked  Trixy,  suddenly,  "  mamma 
says  you  great  big  soldiers  are  just  like  little 
children  in  one  way.  You  never  can  go  any 
place  without  askin'  somebody  to  let  you." 

"Your  mamma  is  entirely  right  about  it,"  said 
Jermyn,  with  a  laugh. 

"How  funny!"  said  Trixy,  as  if  talking  to 
herself. 

The  child  finally  disappeared,  but  Jermyn  re 
mained.  He  wondered  how  he  could  explain  his 
reappearance  at  the  fort,  after  taking  a  week's 
leave  only  twenty-four  hours  before,  should  any 
awkwardness  on  the  part  of  any  one  prevent  him 
joining  the  party.  He  wished  he  might  see  Trif 
alone  for  a  moment  or  two,  but  he  knew  better 
than  to  disturb  a  woman  absorbed  in  the  duties 
of  packing.  He  was  uncomfortable;  he  felt 
that  he  was  in  the  way,  but  he  pulled  himself 
together  by  saying  that  he  might  as  well  be  a 
thousand  miles  away  from  Trif  and  Kate  as  he 
was  at  that  moment,  while  they  were  occupied 
as  they  were.  He  could  still  make  a  pretense  of 
looking  for  that  yacht,  for  Trixy  had  left  the 
glasses  in  her  chair.  Perhaps,  after  their  work 
was  done,  one  or  other  of  the  ladies  might  acci 
dentally  find  him,  and  something  might  be  said 
that  would  give  him  the  opportunity  for  which 
he  longed. 

"  Mamma,"  said  Trixy,  entering  the  room  and 
stumbling  over  trunks,  "  why  don't  Mr.  Jermyn 
go  to  New  York  with  us  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  do  wish  he  could ! "  exclaimed  Trif. 
"  Fenie,  wouldn't  it  be  be  delightful  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  yes,"  the  girl  replied,  "  but  don't  say 


174  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

anything  about  it  to  Kate,  for  the  mention  of  it, 
when  it  can't  be  done,  would  simply  break  her 
heart." 

Trixy  propounded  some  more  questions,  but 
was  told  that  her  mother  was  very  busy,  and 
must  not  be  bothered,  so  the  child  started  in 
search  of  other  company,  and  when  she  reached 
the  beach  she  found  the  Admiral,  whom  she 
asked : 

"  Who  is  it  that  officers  like  Mr.  Jermyn  have 
to  ask  when  they  want  to  do  somethin'  ?  " 

"  Oh,"  said  the  Admiral,  who  was  discussing 
the  naval  topic  of  the  day  with  a  brother  officer, 
"why,  the  commandant  of  the  fort !  " 

Trixy  hung  upon  the  Admiral's  chair  a  mo 
ment  or  two,  but  what  she  heard  was  as  bad  as 
Greek  to  her,  so  she  strayed  away,  and  asked 
questions  of  other  acquaintances,  and  she  was 
gone  so  long  that  her  mother  wondered  what  had 
become  of  her. 

When  the  packing  was  finished,  to  the  very 
last  article  which  had  been  overlooked,  and  for 
which  the  trunks  had  to  be  reopened,  Kate  and 
Fenie  sat  down  to  rest,  and  naturally  each  began 
to  talk  of  the  subject  which  was  uppermost  in 
the  minds  of  both,  and  finally  they  became  so 
confidential  that  Fenie  exclaimed  : 

"Wouldn't  it  be  lovely  if  Jermyn  were  going 
North  with  us  ?  " 

"  Ch,  Fenie !  "  murmured  Kate,  looking  as 
Mother  Eve  probably  looked  when  the  gates  of 
Eden  closed  behind  her. 

"  Why  don't  you  make  him  ?"  asked  the 
younger  woman. 


A  BLISSFUL   WEEK.  175 

"  Make  him  ?  He  is  an  officer  of  the  Govern 
ment,  and  has  his  duties  to  perform.  Do  you 
suppose  I  would  dare  ask  him  to  neglect  them?" 

"  I'm  sure  I  can't  see  what  duties  there  can  be 
to  embarrass  him,  for  there  isn't  any  war  going 
on.'' 

"  Xo,  but  there  seems  to  be  so  much  else. 
Don't  you  remember  that  mysterious  mission 
that  took  him  and  the  Admiral  North  a  few  days 
ago?  Jermyn  must  be  of  great  importance, 
despite  his  modest  rank,  or  he  never  would  have 
been  associated  with  an  admiral,  on  public 
business." 

"  I'd  ask  him,  any  way,  if  he  were  my  lover, 
:if  only  to  make  him  happy  for  a  moment,"  said 
Fenie. 

"  Would  you  ?"  asked  Kate.  Should  she  be 
outdone  in  affectionate  impulse  by  a  mere  girl 
like  Fenie  ?  She  wondered  what  had  become 
of  Jermyn  ;  then  she  said  so. 

"  He's  out  at  the  angle  of  this  verandah,  or 
was  a  half  hour  ago,  Trixy  told  me ;  he  was 
looking  for  the  yacht  of  a  friend.  And  Kate," 
continued  Fenie  hurriedly,  for  Kate  had  already 
started,  "  you  needn't  be  afraid  to  talk  to  him, 
for  there  are  no  occupants  of  those  rooms." 

Kate  tripped  out  to  the  piazza  and  saw  Jermyn 
with  a  face  so  sober  that  it  shocked  her.  She 
approached  him  softly  and  touched  his  arm  ;  he 
looked  up  quickly,  but  with  an  entirely  different 
face. 

"Am  I  to  go  to  New  York  all  alone  ?"  Kate 
asked,  with  a  look  which  set  Jermyn's  well- 
controlled  heart  dancing,  although  its  owner 
said 


176  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  What  ?  Your  brother,  and  Mrs.  Highwood 
and  Miss  Wardlow — aren't  they  going  ?" 

"  You  know  very  well  what  I  mean,  you  con 
summate  hypocrite." 

'"And  you  know  very  well,  or  you  ought  to," 
said  Jermyn,  "that  I'd  gladly  follow  you  all  over 
the  earth.  Still,  I  can't  force  myself  upon  the 
remainder  of  the  party. * 

"Then  Trif  shall  Invite  you,  at  once,"  said 
Kate. 

"  Trif,"  Fenie  was  saying  at  almost  the  same 
moment,  as  her  sister  returned  from  an  uns,uc- 
cessful  search  for  Trixy,  "  Kate  has  gone  out  to 
ask  Jermyn  to  accompany  us  North  ;  wouldn't 
it  be  the  graceful  thing  for  you,  as  the  head  of 
the  party,  to  add  your  request  to  hers  ?" 

"  Where  is  he  ?"  asked  Trif.  She  was  on  the 
piazza,  soon  after  Fenie  told  her  where  the  Lieu 
tenant  was. 

"  How  kind  and  thoughtful  of  you !"  said  Jer 
myn.  "  I  suppose,"  he  continued  hypocritically, 
"  that  I  might  possibly  get  permission  to  be 
absent  a  few  days  longer  if " 

"  That's  all  right,"  intruded  the  voice  of 
Trixy.  "  You  can  go,  and  that  ain't  all — you'll 
get  into  a  lot  of  trouble  if  you  don't  go.  I've 
been  to  see  the  head  man  about  it." 

"  The  head  man  ?  "  echoed  Jermyn,  while  the 
others  looked  inquiringly  at  the  child. 

"  Yes.  Don't  you  know  ?  I  mean  the  man 
up  at  the  fort,  that  all  you  soldiers  have  to  ask 
when  you  want  to  do  anything.  I  told  him  all 
about  it,  although  he  kept  on  interruptin',  and 
sayin'  '  yes,  yes,'  as  if  he  wanted  me  to  stop 


A  BLISSFUL   WEEK.  177 

talkin'.  I  didn't  stop,  though,  so  at  last  he  said, 
"  Little  girl,  I've  already  heard  something  about 
the  matter.  Please  say  to  Lieutenant  Jermyn, 
with  my  compliments,  that  he  is  to  go  to  New 
York  at  once,  and  that  he  isn't  to  show  his  face 
here  again  for  several  days,  and  that  if  he  dares 
to  do  so  I  may  have  him  held  to  account  for 
getting  a  leave  of  absence  on  false  pretenses.' 
There ! — I  think  I've  told  it  just  like  he  said  it,  so 
you  see  you'll  have  to  go  if  you  don't  want  to 
catch  it." 

"  Trixy,"  exclaimed  Jermyn,  utterly  aghast, 
"  do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  have  actually 
called  upon  the  Post  Commandant  and  told  him 
that  I  was  here,  and  that " 

"  Yes,  I  told  him  everything  I  could,  so  he'd 
be  sure  to  let  you  go ;  told  him  about  your  bein' 
here  to  lunch  with  mamma — he  looked  awful 
s'prised  then,  'cause  he  thought  you'd  gone  to 
New  York,  so  I  told  him  what  you  went  for,  and 
how  the  Admiral  brought  you  back,  and  then  he 
told  me  he  wished  I'd  find  the  Admiral  and  say 
he'd  be  glad  to  have  him  come  up  to  the  fort  to 
dinner.  Then  he  looked  as  if  he  didn't  know 
what  to  think,  and  I  got  afraid  that  mebbe  he'd 
change  his  mind  and  not  let  you  go  after  all,  so 
I  told  him  that  'twas  real  important,  and  about 
last  night  up  by  the  lighthouse — don't  you  re 
member  ?  Oh,  mamma  !  I  promised  you  real 
solemn  that  I  wouldn't  say  a  word  about  that  to 
anybody,  didn't  I  !  I  wonder  how  I  came  to  do 
it?" 

Kate  looked  at  Jermyn,  and  Jermyn  blushed  ; 
then  he  looked  at  Kate,  and  Kate  blushed ;  as 
12 


178  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

to  the  others,  they  looked  at  both  of  them  and 
laughed  merrily.  But  Kate  wasn't  going  to  let 
the  dear  fellow  feel  uncomfortable,  so  she  said 
softly— 

"  You'll  go  with  us  ?  " 

"  You've  heard  my  orders,  my  dear,  although 
I  must  say  that  they  did  not  come  through  the 
customary  official  channels,  but  as  I  got  a  week's 
leave  last  night  for  this  very  purpose — 

"  You  shall  have  a  blissful  week,"  interrupted 
Trif,  "  with  no  one  to  disturb  or  make  trouble." 

"  But  you  forget  that  the  General  command 
ing  this  department  has  headquarters  at  New 
York,  and  if  Trixy  should  — 

"  Sh— h— "  whispered  Kate.  "  That  dreadful 
child  might  appeal  to  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  in  his  capacity  as  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  army  and  navy." 

"  Do  be  quiet,"  said  Jermyn.  "  The  child  is 
listening  with  all  her  might." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

APRIL   SHOWERS. 

A  HAPPIER  couple  than  Fenie  and  Harry- 
could  not  be  found  in  all  New  York.  This 
must  be  true,  for  both  of  them  said  so  one  even 
ing  while  they  were  the  only  occupants  of  Trif's 
cozy  parlor,  while  Trif  and  her  husband  were 
out,  making  a  short  call. 

Harry  had  just  told  Fenie  that  while  he  was 
very  happy  about  his  sister  and  Jermyn,  because 
he  thought  them  specially  suited  to  each  other, 
he  was  also  very  sorry  for  them,  for  naturally 
love  could  not  be  so  delightful  to  Jermyn  as  to 
him,  for  was  not  the  officer  at  least  ten  years  the 
older.  Ten  years,  to  Harry,  seemed  time  enough 
to  transform  a  young  man  into  a  person  of  mid 
dle  age. 

Fenie  said  she  never  would  have  mentioned 
such  things  if  Harry  had  not  begun  it,  but  she 
was  dreadfully  sorry  for  Kate,  for  the  dear  girl, 
being  much  older  than  she — six  or  seven  years 
older — could  not  know  the  bliss  of  youth  that 
gives  itself  entirely  to  thoughts  of  love. 

Harry  did  not  like  to  hear  any  allusions  made 
to  the  age  of  his  sister,  for  Kate  had  always 
seemed  to  him,  until  he  met  Fenie,  the  embodi 
ment  of  everything  girlishly  delightful.  Was 


iSo  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

she  not  the  merriest  romp  of  the  family  ?  Was 
it  not  she  who  always  brought  him  out  of  his 
brown  studies  ?  Did  she  not  play  with  the 
younger  children  as  if  she  herself  was  still  in 
short  dresses  ? 

By  a  natural  coincidence,  Jermyn  and  Kate, 
only  a  few  squares  away,  were  congratulating 
themselves  that  they  were  not  young  things  like 
Harry  and  Feme.  They  had  seen  much  of  the 
world ;  they  knew  men  and  women  well ;  they 
had  gone  through  many  illusions  from  start  to 
finish,  but  now  they  had  found  each  other,  the 
world  might  move  on  in  its  orbit,  or  out  of  its 
orbit,  with  no  end  of  trouble  to  all  concerned  — 
except  them.  They  were  one  in  soul  and  pur 
pose  for  all  time,  and,  they  devoutly  hoped,  for 
all  eternity. 

About  this  time  a  bell  rang  somewhere  in  the 
house,  but  neither  of  them  heeded  it.  Why  should 
they  ?  Were  they  not  sitting  and  looking  as  if  Jer 
myn  had  merely  dropped  in  for  an  evening  call  ? 
Kate  was  pretending  to  do  some  alleged  "  fancy 
work,"  and  Jermyn  was  admiring  the  movements 
of  her  pretty  hands,  and  wishing  that  his  pay  or 
his  prospects  were  so  good  that  the  aforesaid 
pretty  hands  might  never  have  to  do  anything 
more  exacting  or  less  becoming,  and  thinking  he 
had  been  a  brute  to  propose  to  such  a  woman 
when  he  had  only  his  pay,  nearly  two  thousand 
a  year,  and  a  thousand  or  two  dollars  he  had 
saved,  when  the  current  of  his  thoughts  was  dis 
turbed  by  the  appearance  of  Trixy,  who  stood 
before  him  in  a  waterproof  cloak  and  a  face 
covered  with  tears. 


APRIL  SHOWERS.  181 

"  Trixy  !  "  exclaimed  Jermyn.  "  What  has 
happened  to  you  ? " 

"  They're  havin'  an  awful  row,"  sobbed  the 
child. 

"  They  ?     Not  your  father  and  mother  ? " 

"  No,  indeed  !  They  never  fight — aren't  you 
ashamed  of  yourself  !  It's  the  other  two  -  Aunt 
Fee  and  Harry.  She  says  she  never  loved  him 
much  anyhow,  and  she  didn't  ask  him  to  go 
clown  South  and  bother  her,  and  he  said  he 
didn't  believe  she  knew  her  own  mind,  and  she 
said  she  wished  he  had  any  mind  worth  knowin', 
and  she  wished  he  was  half  as  much  of  a  man 
as  Lieutenant  Jermyn,  that  he'd  been  abusin'. 
She  said  you  was  a  man,  and  he  wasn't 
nothin'  but  a  boy.  And  papa  and  mamma  was 
gone  out,  and  I  was  awful  frightened,  and  I  got 
the  cook  to  bring  me  around  here,  so  I  could 
ask  Miss  Trewman  if  somethin'  couldn't  be  done 
for  'em.'' 

"  Why  should  he  have  abused  me  ?  "  asked 
Jermyn  of  no  one  in  particular. 

"  Why  should  she  compare  him  with  you  ?  " 
asked  Kate.  "Jermyn,"  she  exclaimed,  "did 
you  ever  make  love  to  Fenie  Wardlow  ?" 

"  Never  !     Upon  my  honor,  my  dear." 

"  Then  I'm  sure  I  don't  know " 

"  Neither  do  I.  Suppose  I  go  around  with 
Trixy  and  find  out  ?  ' ' 

"  I  shall  go  with  you,"  said  Kate.  There  was 
something  in  her  voice  that  Jermyn  had  never 
heard  before,  and  it  distracted  his  thoughts 
about  Harry  and  Fenie.  Nevertheless  the  two 
quickly  left  the  house  together,  and  Jermyn 


iS2  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

talked  to  Trixy  rather  than  to  Kate,  and  Kate 
was  made  so  uncomfortable  thereby  that  she 
talked  incessantly  to  Trixy,  which  mystified  Jer- 
myn  greatly,  although  Kate's  hand  grasped  his 
arm  tightly  all  the  while. 

On  their  way  they  chanced  to  meet  Harry,  to 
whom  Jermyn  said  quickly  : 

"  Well  met,  old  chap  !  Come  along  with  us. 
We  are  going  to  make  a  call  and  would  like  to 
have  you  with  us ;  we  can  promise  that  you  shall 
have  a  pleasant  time." 

"  I'd  be  glad  if  something  pleasant  would  hap 
pen  on  this  particular  evening — confound  it!" 
replied  Harry  i:i  the  gruff  tone  which  some  very 
young  men,  despite  good  breeding  and  associa 
tion,  sometimes  indulge  in.  When  they  reached 
the  Highwoods'  house  and  started  up  the  steps 
Harry  shrank  backward  and  said : 

"  Not  there,  thank  you.     Not  this  evening." 

He  started  quickly  away,  but  Jermyn,  with 
Kate  still  clinging  to  his  arm,  soon  overtook 
him,  grasped  his  shoulder  as  a  policeman  might 
seize  a  prisoner,  and  said,  kindly  enough  : 

"  My  dear  fellov.-,  I've  seen  a  score  of  clever 
youngsters  through  lovers'  quarrels,  and  I'm  go 
ing  to  see  you  through  one  this  evening — no\v, 
or  I'm  going  to  break  your  neck.  Which  do 
you  prefer  ?'' 

Harry  answered  nothing,  although  he  acted 
like  a  surly  criminal  led  by  a  jailor.  Meanwhile 
Kate  was  grasping  Jermyn's  arm  tightly  and 
pressing  close  to  his  side.  What  had  become  of 
Trixy  no  one  knew  or  thought,  yet  no  sooner 
did  they  ring  the  bell  than  the  child  stood  in 
the  open  doorway. 


APRIL  SHOWERS.  183 

Kate  hurried  to  Fenie's  room,  where  she  found 
the  occupant  bathed  in  tears.  At  any  other  time 
such  a  spectacle  would  have  moved  Kate  to  ten 
derness,  but  now  she  rudely  shook  the  girl  and 
asked : 

"  Tryphena  Wardlow,  were  you  ever  in  love 
v:ith  Jermyn  ?" 

"  No,"  replied  the  girl  with  a  wondering  blush. 
"That  is " 

"  Did  he  ever  make  love  to  you?  Tell  me — 
this  instant !" 

"  No.     That  is " 

"  Did  he  ever  kiss  you  ?" 

"No,  no,  no— a  thousand  times  no!  Aren't 
you  ashamed  of  yourself,  to  have  asked  such  a 
question  ?  " 

"  Yes — I  am  !''  said  Kate,  "  and  I  sincerely 
beg  your  pardon,  but — here,  dear,  let  me  dry 
your  eyes.  You  poor  little  darling,  has  Harry 
been  a  brute  ?  Oh,  won't  I  make  life  miserable 
for  him  when  I  get  him  alone,  at  home?  There, 
dear !  If  your  own  sister  isn't  here  to  comfort 
you,  you  shan't  lack  another.  Come  down  stairs 
with  me ;  Jermyn  is  here,  and  I  want  you  to  look 
your  prettiest." 

"It  isn't  necessary,"  said  Fenie,  trying  to 
clear  her  face  of  the  traces  of  sorrow  and  anger. 
"  He's  no  eyes  for  any  one  else  when  you're 
present." 

"You  darling  girl!  Say  that  again — and 
again  !'' 

"  Old  chap,''  Jermyn  was  saying  to  Harry, 
"  I  don't  know  what  has  been  the  trouble,  but  I 
know  the  nature  of  it,  for  I've  seen  signs  of  it  in 


1 84  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

many  other  men  who  have  been  in  love.  Take 
all  the  blame  to  yourself —do !  'Tis  the  privilege 
of  men  to  relieve  women  of  all  of  that  sort  of 
thing  they  can." 

"  'Tis  very  well  for  you  to  talk,"  grumbled 
Harry.  "  '  They  jest  at  scars  that  never  felt  a 
wound.'  But 

"  But,  you  blessed  idiot,  do  you  know  what 
you  are  in  danger  of  losing  ?  Fenie  is  one  of 
the  sweetest  little  women  on  the  face  of  the 
earth." 

"  How  do  you  know?"  asked  Harry  defiantly. 
"Were  you  ever  in  love  with  her?  From  some 
thing  she  said  this  evening  I  am  half  inclined 
to " 

"  I  was  in  love  with  her  sister,  many  years 
ago,"  said  Jermyn  softly ;  "so  I  know  the  family 
quality." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Harry,  humbly, 
and  trying  hard  to  be  once  more  a  gentleman. 
"  But  she  said " 

"  'Tis  no  matter  what  she  said.  Be  a  man ; 
be  a  lover;  be  a  gentleman.  Sh — h — h! — 
they're  coming." 

Kate  entered  with  Fenie,  who  greeted  Jermyn 
effusively,  while  Harry  chatted  with  his  sister, 
there  being  no  one  else  for  him  to  speak  to,  for 
Trixy  had  disappeared.  Kate  and  Jermyn  soon 
succeeded  in  making  the  conversation  general, 
and  in  compelling  Harry  and  Fenie  to  talk  to 
each  other.  Then  Jermyn  and  Kate  began  to 
admire  some  of  the  Highwoods'  pictures  so  in 
tently  that  Harry  and  Fenie  could  talk  only  to 
each  other ;  they  dropped  their  voices,  but  the 


APRIL  SHOWERS.  185 

tones  were  audible  and  promised  well.  Finally, 
as  the  others  turned  they  saw  something  which 
caused  them  to  say : 

"  We  beg  a  thousand  pardons." 

"You  needn't,"  replied  Fenie  bravely.  "We've 
made  up,  and  I  don't  care  if  all  the  world  knows 
it,  for  it  was  all  my  fault  from  the  first." 

"  What  a  fib  !"  exclaimed  Harry. 

''It  isn't!  But  how — "  here  Fenie  turned 
to  Kate,  "did  you  chance  to  come  to  the  rescue  ? 
My  heart  was  almost  broken." 

"And  mine,"  added  Harry. 

"And  mine,"  said  Kate  tragically. 

"  Mine  is  of  no  particular  consequence," 
drawled  Jcrmyn,  with  a  reproachful  look  at 
Kate,  "still,  it  got  a  frightful  stab." 

"  You  poor  fallow  !"  exclaimed  Kate,  making 
amends  in  the  most  delightful  manner  appro 
priate  to  the  occasion.  This  demonstration  in 
cited  Harry  and  Fenie  to  be  very  tender  to  each 
other,  and  there  was  an  instant  of  delicious 
silence,  too  soon  broken  by  a  pitiful  wail  which 
seemed  to  come  from  a  portiere. 

"  I  s'pose  it  don't  matter  about  my  poor  little 
bit  of  a  heart,  but  it  was  broke  most  to  pieces." 

"  Did  that  child  overhear  the  quarrel  ?"  whis 
pered  Fenie. 

"  Twas  she  who  brought  us  word  about  it," 
Kate  replied. 

Then  Harry  and  Fenie  kissed  Trixy,  and  Jer- 
myn  took  her  into  his  arms,  and  the  child, 
relieved  of  h^r  load  of  responsibility,  fell  asleep, 
and  Jermyn  held  her  so  tenderly  and  looked  at 
her  so  fondly  and  thoughtfully  that  Kate  looked 


1 35  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

upon  him  with  a  new  and  tender  expression  in 
her  eyes,  although  she  wouldn't  for  the  world 
have  had  him  see  it.  Finally  Kate  herself  took 
the  child,  so  softly  that  she  did  not  waken  it, 
and  carried  it  to  and  fro  a  moment  or  two,  and 
finally  laid  it  upon  a  sofa,  and  Jermyn  looked  r.t 
Kate  every  moment,  and  thought,  and  thought, 
and  thought.  At  last  he  ventured  to  remark  : 

"All  the  artists  and  poets  have  been  wrong. 
They  should  have  made  Cupid  a  little  girl.'' 

The  four  sat  and  talked  until  Trif  and  Phil 
returned,  and  then  they  continued  to  talk,  yet 
ihe  astute  heads  of  the  family  did  not  hear  or 
see  anything  that  could  make  them  imagine  that 
there  had  been  any  trouble.  Indeed,  Trif  told 
her  husband  that  it  seemed  strange  that  Jermyn 
and  Kate  should  have  spared  time  for  a  call  on. 
that  particular  evening,  when  Jermyn' s  time  was 
so  short,  and  he  must  soon  be  away  for  no  one 
knew  how  long. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

"  THEY    TAKE   NO   NOTE  OF    TIME.'' 

KATE  and  Jermyn  were  so  happy  in  each 
other's  society,  now  that  they  had  not  to 
pay  attention  to  a  lot  of  mere  acquaintances, 
that  they  agreed  with  the  hero  of  Gilbert  and 
Sullivan's  "Mikado"  that  each  second  was  a 
minute,  each  minute  an  hour,  each  hour  a  day, 
and  each  day  a  year.  Nevertheless,  after  the 
illogical  manner  of  lovers,  no  sooner  was  the 
last  half  of  the  week  under  way  than  they  be 
gan  to  complain  that  ".ach  day  seemed  only  an 
hour  long. 

"  Must  you  really  go  at  the  end  of  your 
week  ?  :'  asked  Kate.  "  Does  a  week,  in  military 
parlance,  mean  literally  a  week — no  more,  no 
less  ?  " 

'•  Exactly  and  mathematically  a  week,"  sighed 
Jermyn.  "  "i'is  even  worse  in  our  case,  for  the 
week  includes  the  time  I  spent  in  reaching  here, 
the  time  I  will  spend  in  returning,  and  the  day  I 
started,  but  was  taken  back  by  the  Admiral.'' 

"  Oh  !  "  exclaimed  Kate,  after  a  startled  look, 
"that  means  that  you  must  start  back  to-mor 
row  !  " 

'•  It  does  indeed.  I've  gone  over  it  by  every 
applicable  rule  of  arithmetic,  but  I  can  nnd  no 
other  solution.'' 

(187) 


i88  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

Kate  at  once  became  so  dismal  that  she  could 
not  talk  much,  and  Jermyn,  remembering  the 
ways  of  his  mother  and  sisters  when  they  had 
trouble  on  their  minds,  suggested  that  there 
could  be  no  better  time  to  make  his  good-bye 
call  upon  the  Highwoods;  he  assured  himself 
that  a  short  chat  with  sympathetic  women  would 
enable  Kate  to  bear  her  trouble  more  bravely. 
He  got  his  reward,  for  Trif  chatted  so  kindly 
with  him  that  he  himself  soon  felt  much  better 
than  he  had  dared  hope,  so  he  felt  correspond 
ingly  grateful,  and  wished  he  might  do  some 
thing  in  return  for  the  good  woman  to  whose  in 
terest  he  owed  so  much  of  his  fortune  in  love. 
Suddenly  there  came  to  him  a  thought  which 
he  voiced  at  once. 

"  Mrs.  Highwood,  I  shall  go  back  by  way 
of  Washington.  I'm  greatly  your  debtor;  I 
needn't  go  into  particulars,  but  wouldn't  you 
like  to  spend  a  few  hours  in  Washington  ?  You 
couldn't  have  a  better  guide  than  I,  and " 

"  'Twould  be  splendid ! "  Trif  exclaimed.  ':  But 
you  wouldn't  be  so  heartless  as  to  leave  Kate 
behind  ?  " 

"  I'm  greatly  obliged  for  the  suggestion." 

"  And,"  continued  Trif,  who  had  been  think 
ing  rapidly.  "  would  it  be  dreadful  of  me  to  take 
Trixy  also  ?  She  has  long  been  wild  to  see  the 
'  Baby  of  the  White  House,'  and  by  some  lucky 
accident  she  might  get  a  peep  at  that  fortunate 
child." 

'•  It  might  not  be  difficult ;  I've  had  the  honor 
of  meeting  the  baby's  mother,  in  other  years, 
and  am  sure  she  would  be  delighted  to  meet  a 
woman  like  Trixy's  mother." 


"THEY  TAKE  NO  NOTE  OF  TIME."1     189 

"  We  will  go,"  said  Trif.  "  I  shan't  have  to 
wait  to  consult  Phil,  for  he  asked  me  why  I 
didn't  improve  my  opportunity  to  see  Washing 
ton  during  our  return  trip  from  Old  Point." 

A  cheerful  party  of  four  started  for  Washing 
ton  the  next  afternoon,  and  on  the  morning  after 
ward  Jermyn  busied  himself  in  showing  the  ladies 
the  sights  of  the  capital.  But  Washington  is  a 
large  city,  and  time  did  fly  so  rapidly — to  Kate 
and  Jermyn,  for  the  latter  would  be  obliged  to 
take  the  night  train  for  Fort  Monroe. 

Trixy  saw  the  baby  of  the  White  House,  and 
devoured  it  with  her  eyes,  and  asked  it  questions 
about  its  dolls,  while  two  fond  mothers  looked 
and  listened.  The  call  was  short,  but,  as  the 
party  made  their  adieus,  Trixy  slipped  back  and 
said  to  the  lady  of  the  house : 

"  Your  husband  can  do  anything  he  likes  with 
soldiers,  can't  he?" 

"That  depends,"  was  the  reply.  "Why  do 
you  ask  ?  " 

"'Cause  I  wish  he  would  make  Lieutenant 
Jermyn  go  back  to  New  York  with  us.  I'm  sure 
Miss  Trewman  wishes  so  too,  'cause  they're  only 
just  engaged,  and  he's  only  been  in  New  York 
a  week,  and " 

"There  goes  the  only  man  who  could  manage 
an  affair  of  that  kind,"  said  the  lady,  pointing  to 
an  alert-looking  gentleman  who  was  approaching 
the  house. 

"  Thank  you,  very  much." 

"  Where  is  Trixy  ?  "  asked  Trif,  as  the  party 
passed  through  the  gateway.  "  Why,  there  she 
is,  talking  to  a  stranger  !  How  the  child  has 


190  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

lost  her  manners  !  Mr.  Jermyn,  won't  you  kindly 
bring  her  back  ?  " 

Jermyn  hurried  to  the  rescue,  and  was  some 
what  astonished  to  see  that  the  gentleman  witn 
whom  Trixy  was  talking  was  the  Secretary  of 
War. 

"  Mr.  Jermyn  !  "  said  the  Secretary.  Jermyn 
saluted. 

"  This  young  lady  has  been  telling  me  an  in 
teresting  story.  By  the  way,  there  are  to  be 
some  new  guns  tested  at  Sandy  Hook,  New  York 
harbor,  in  a  day  or  two.  It  mijht  be  of  use  to 
some  of  the  classes  at  the  fort  if  an  officer  from 
there  were  to  observe  the  tests  and  take  back  a 
detailed  report.  Would  your  own  studies  be  re 
tarded  if  you  were  to  remain  absent  a  week  or 
ten  days  longer  ?  " 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  Jermyn  replied,  with  the 
promptness  becoming  a  soldier. 

"  Call  at  the  Department  some  time  this  after 
noon,  then,  for  your  detail.  I'll  send  a  copy  of 
it  to  your  commanding  officer,  and  you  will  re 
port  by  letter  to  him,  so  that  you  may  be  recalled 
if  necessary.  Will  you  do  me  the  honor  to  intro 
duce  me  to  this  young  lady?  " 

"  With  pleasure.  Miss  Highwood,  allow  me 
to  present  the  Honorable  the  Secretary  of  War." 

"  What  a  long  name  !  "  exclaimed  Trixy,  with 
a  curtesy. 

"  I'm  sorry,  Miss  Highwood,  that  my  time 
won't  allow  me  to  show  you  special  attention 
while  you  are  here,  but  I  hope  we  may  meet 
again.  Good  day.  Mr.  Jermyn,  I  wish  you  a 
pleasant  trip ! " 


"THEY  TAKE  JVO  NOTE  OF  TIME."     191 

Jermyn  hurried  the  child  back  to  her  mother, 
who  said : 

"  I  hope,  Mr.  Jermyn,  that  you  apologized  to 
the  gentleman  for  Trixy's  rudeness  ? " 

"  I  hadn't  the  opportunity,"  Jermyn  replied. 
"Ladies,  I've  an  interesting  announcement  to 
make ;  I  am  to  accompany  you  back  to  New 
York." 

"  Oh,  Jermyn!"  exclaimed  Kate.  " 'Tis  too 
good  to  be  true." 

"  Nevertheless,  His  as  true  as  it  is  good.  The 
gentleman  with  whom  Trixy  was  talking  was 
the  Secretary  of  War,  and  he  has  ordered  me 
back,  for  a  few  days,  on  duty  that  will  occupy 
my  time  for  only  a  few  hours  a  day." 

"You  clever  fellow!  How  did  you  manage 
it?" 

"I  didn't.     Trixy  did  it." 

"  Trixy  •  "  echoed  both  ladies. 

"  Why,"  said  the  child,  "  I  only  told  him  all 
about  Mr.  Jermyn  and  Miss  Trewman.  The 
lady  in  the  White  House  told  me  he  was  the 
right  man  to  ask  if  Mr.  Jermyn  couldn't  go  back 
to  New  York  with  us,  so  I  asked  him."  Then 
Trixy  looked  up  with  the  inquiring  air  she  al 
ways  had  when  she  suspected  she  had  done 
something  wrong,  but  didn't  know  what  it  was. 

"  Bless  me  ! "  exclaimed  Kate.  "  I  wonder 
only  that  she  didn't  ask  the  President  himself." 

"  That's  what  I  was  goin'  to  do,"  explained 
Trixy,  "  but  the  lady  said  the  other  man  was  the 
right  one,  so  I  asked  him." 

All  three  adults  stopped  and  stared  fixedly  at 
Trixy,  at  which  the  child  began  to  cry;  so  Trif 


192  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

picked  her  up  and  kissed  her  and  told  her  to 
"never  mind,"  and  Kate  stooped  and  kissed 
her,  and  when  she  lifted  her  head  there  were 
tears  in  her  eyes ;  so  Trif  looked  hurriedly  to 
ward  the  War  Department  and  said  it  was  good 
for  the  public  sense  of  propriety  and  dignity  that 
the  Secretary  was  out  of  sight,  otherwise  it 
would  be  just  like  Kate  to  kiss  him  also,  as  she 
had  kissed  the  Admiral  on  a  certain  occasion. 

Kate  hurried  the  party  away ;  she  explained 
later  that  while  looking  toward  the  White  House 
she  was  sure  that  she  saw  the  hostess  looking 
through  the  window  at  her  and  smiling  at  her. 

"  I  declare  ! "  she  said,  with  downcast  eyes 
and  cheeks  a-flame,  "  there's  no  living  with 
Trixy,  nor " 

"  Nor  any  living  without  her— eh  ?  "  added 
Jermyn. 

The  remainder  of  the  day  was  the  very  mer 
riest,  so  four  people  said,  that  any  party  had 
ever  spent  in  Washington.  Jermyn  took  his 
guests  to  the  old  chamber  of  the  House  of  Rep 
resentatives,  and  mystified  them  a  few  moments 
with  the  "  whispering  gallery  "  over  the  Speak 
er's  desk,  making  Kate  his  latest  victim,  despite 
her  appeals  to  him  to  be  quiet,  and  his  assur 
ances  that  no  one  else  could  hear  a  word  he 
was  saying,  although  he  was  forty  feet  away. 
Kate  became  so  embarrassed  that  she  suddenly 
withdrew  and  Trixy  took  her  place — a  change 
which  Jermyn  did  not  notice  until  he  heard  a 
peal  of  childish  laughter,  and,  stepping  forward, 
saw  Kate  and  Trif  standing  some  steps  from 
the  arch  and  Trixy  joining  them,  and  saying  : 


"THEY  TAKE  NO  NOTE  OF  TIME."     193 

"  That's  the  funniest  thing  I  ever  heard  of  !" 

"What  is  the  funniest  thing,  dear?''  asked 
Trif. 

"Trixy,"  exclaimed  Jermyn,  "don't  tell, 
please." 

"  But  I  must  mind  mamma,"  pleaded  the 
child.  "Besides " 

"  Trixy,"  exclaimed  Jermyn,  "  if  you  repeat 
what  I  said  Til  never  speak  to  you  again." 

"  Trixy,"  said  Kate,  "  if  you  don't  tell  I'll 
never  speak  to  you  again — I  mean,"  for  Kate 
had  caught  an  appealing  look  from  Jermyn — "  I 
won't  speak  to  you  if  you  do  tell." 

The  child  was  so  confused  that  she  did  not 
know  what  to  do,  so  she  turned  to  her  mother 
for  advice,  and  Trif  hurried  her  a  few  steps  in 
advance. 

"  Remember,  Trixy !  "  cried  Kate  after  them. 

"  Don't  forget,  Trixy  !"  shouted  Jermyn,  in  his 
sternest  tone  of  command. 

Two  more  uncomfortable  lovers  than  Kate 
and  Jermyn  were  in  the  next  five  minutes  could 
not  have  been  found  anywhere,  for  Kate  won 
dered  what  it  was  all  about  and  insisted  upon 
knowing,  and  Jermyn  replied  that  he  would  tell 
her  at  some  future  time,  and  Kate  wanted  to 
know  why  he  couldn't  tell  her  at  once,  and  Jer 
myn  replied,  somewhat  sheepishly,  that  some 
things  might  be  said  in  the  privacy  of  a  whisper 
ing  gallery  that  could  not  easily  be  said  face  to 
face  in  a  crowded  street,  upon  which  Kate 
wailed  : 

"  But  that  child  heard  it !" 

"  Never  mind,  my  dear;  she'll  forget  it." 
'3 


194  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  Not  she  I  I'm  beginning  to  believe  that  the 
smaller  the  child  the  less  chance  there  is  of  her 
forgetting  what  shouldn't  be  remembered.  And, 
oh,  Jermyn!  Of  all  men  in  the  world,  here 
comes  Admiral  Allison !  What  if  she  should 
tell  him  ?"  s 

11  If  she  does,"  said  Jermyn  desperately,  "  I'll 
never  again  dare  look  him  in  the  face  ;  I  shall 
always  believe  he  is  laughing  at  me.  'Tis  all 
your  fault,  my  dear.  If  you  hadn't  made  me 
love  you  so  dearly,  I  wouldn't  have  said — 

"  Let  us  overtake  them — quick !"  said  Kate. 

"We've  been  up  to  the  whisp'rin'  gall'ry," 
Trixy  was  already  saying  to  the  Admiral, 
and " 

"  Trixy  !"  sternly  spoke  three  voices  as  one. 

"  What  rare  fortunes  Providence  has  in  store 
for  old  men !"  exclaimed  the  Admiral.  "  I 
greatly  wanted  and  needed  to  see  Jermyn,  this 
very  day,  and  I  not  only  find  him  unexpectedly, 
but  get  a  couple  of  glimpses  of  Paradise  beside 
— yes,  three,  for  here  is  Trixy  also." 

"Paradise?"  echoed  Trixy.  "It  was  some- 
thin'  about  Paradise  that '' 

"  Trixy !"  said  Jermyn  warningly. 

"Allow  me,"  said  the  Admiral,  "  to  take  you 
all  to  a  hotel,  where  I  may  rob  you  of  Jermyn  a 
few  moments." 

Jermyn  took  the  child's  hand,  placed  himself 
between  her  and  the  Admiral,  and  thus  they 
walked  to  the  hotel. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
"BEYOND  THE  DREAM  OF  AVARICE." 

I\A  ^  ^ear  k°y>"  sa'd  the  Admiral,  as  soon 
I  V  1  as  the  party  had  been  comfortably 
stowed  at  a  hotel,  of  which  officers  of  the  united 
service  are  very  fond,  and  after  luncheon  had 
been  ordered,  "  don't  you  want  to  make  your  for 
tune  by  a  few  strokes  of  your  pen — or  pencil  ?  " 

"Admiral,"  replied  Jermyn,  "my  heart  never 
before  warned  me  so  savagely  of  the  condition 
of  my  pocket.  Fire  away." 

"  Good  !  Do  you  remember  a  conversation  we 
had  a  few  nights  ago  at  the  fort  with  a  certain 
semi-public  character  about  business?" 

"  A  few  nights  ago  ?  "  repeated  Jermyn  dream 
ily.  "  I  remember  such  a  talk,  but  it  seems  that 
it  was  a  few  months  ago." 

"Tut,  tut!  Wake  up  !  This  is  business — not 
moonshine." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Jermyn,  quietly 
rallying  himself.  "  You  mean  the  affair  of  that 
gold  placer  on  the  Pacific  Coast?  Do  you  sup 
pose  I  ever  can  forget  it,  after  the  misery  that 
came  of  it,  and  the  trouble  you  were  put  to  ?  ' 

"Never  mind  me,  at  present,  except  to  give 
me  your  close  attention.  My  dear  boy,  our 
suggestions  did  the  business,  and  Blogsham  has 


196  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

more  sense  of  honor  than  I  usually  attribute  to  a 
business  man.  Our  plans  were  of  so  much  prom 
ise  that  he  has  already  organized  a  company  to 
develop  the  property.  The  capital  is  a  million 
dollars,  with  permission  to  increase  to  three  mil 
lions,  and  there  are  at  present  ten  thousand  shares 
of  the  par  value  of  one  hundred  dollars  each." 

"  Hem  !  That  sounds  business-like,  but  I  don't 
see  how  it  implies  the  sense  of  honor  of  which 
you  spoke  a  moment  ago." 

"What?  Oh,  to  be  sure;  I've  not  reached 
the  most  important  part  of  the  story.  Well,  the 
projector  writes  me  that  he  hasn't  forgotten  his 
promise,  and  that  there  are  five  hundred  shares 
of  the  stock  waiting  for  me,  and  five  hundred  for 
you,  which  we  can  have  if " 

"  No,  I've  fooled  away  enough  of  my  hard 
earnings  upon  projects  of  that  kind.  Excitement 
of  that  sort  may  do  for  you,  on  the  pay  of  a  rear 
admiral,  retired,  but  I " 

"  Do  let  me  finish,  won't  you  ?  I  wouldn't  put 
a  cent  into  gold-mining,  unless  I  myself  were  the 
manager  of  the  concern,  if  I  were  a  dozen  times 
as  well  off  as  I  am.  But  don't  you  remember 
Blogsham's  promise  ?  We're  to  have  this  stock 
for  nothing  but  the  services  we  have  already 
rendered.  Blogsham  asks  only  that  the  trans 
actions  and  his  assertions  to  the  company  may 
be  entirely  business-like,  that  we  shall  send  him 
for  the  company's  archives,  the  sketches  which 
gave  him  his  new  ideas  as  to  how  to  make  the 
placer  a  working  success.'' 

"  Whew-w-w-w-  !  "  whistled  Jermyn.  "  Will 
you  kindly  remember  where  those  sketches  are 


"BEYOND  THE  DREAM  OF  AVARICE."  197 

— or  where  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  they 
are  ? " 

'•  Perfectly ;  nevertheless  they  mus£  be  ob 
tained.  Fifty  thousand  dollars  is  too  much 
money  for  either  of  us  to  throw  away — Blogs- 
ham  says  the  stock  can  already  be  sold  at  par. 
I'm  sure  that  Mrs.  Highwood  is  too  much  inter 
ested  in  your  future  welfare  to  make  any  objec 
tion  to  giving  up  the  original  document." 

"  You  forget  that  she  sent  it  to  her  husband." 

"Well,  he  and  she  are  one,  aren't  they?  I 
should  imagine  so,  from  Madam  Trif's  manner 
of  talking  about  her  lord  and  master." 

"  But  there  was  a  private  letter  on  the  same 
sheet  of  paper,  which " 

"  Which  can  easily  be  erased." 

"  I  can't  ask  it— really  I  can't,"  said  Jermyn. 
"  I'd  rather  lose  fifty  thousand  dollars  than  re 
mind  Mrs.  Highwood  of  something  that  would 
be  embarrassing  to  think  of,  in  my  presence." 

"  Then  ask  her  by  letter,  from  as  far  away  as 
you  like.  It  ought  to  be  done  at  once  though, 
for  offers  like  Blogsham's  are  too  much  in  air 
when  made  only  verbally.  We  must  have  the 
sketches.  If  you  won't  ask  for  them  I  must. 
My  conscience  won't  let  me  see  a  woman  like 
Miss  Trewman  marry  a  subaltern  with  less  than 
two  thousand  a  year.  The  income  of  fifty  thou 
sand  dollars,  added  to  your  own  salary,  will  en 
able  you  to  marry,  and  support  your  wife  in  a 
manner  that  she  is  accustomed  to." 

Jermyn  was  in  an  unpleasant  quandary,  but 
he  soon  got  out  of  it  by  saying  that  to  ask  for 
the  letter  would  be  ungentlemanly  of  him,  so  he 
couldn't  do  it. 


198  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"Then,  you  stupid  fellow,"  said  the  Admiral, 
"  I  myself  shall  ask  for  them— for  my  own 
sketch,  at  least.  She  already  knows  that  I 
know  the  contents  of  the  letter." 

"  You  won't  dare  remind  her  of  it,"  exclaimed 
Jeimyn. 

"Won't  I,  though!  Indeed  I  will.  I  have 
sufficient  excuse.  I  shall  tell  her  frankly  why  I 
want  it — that  an  estimable  though  obstinate 
friend  of  mine  is  about  to  marry  on  an  insuf 
ficient  income,  and  that  I'm  so  sorry  for  his  wife 
that  I'm  going  to  settle  fifty  thousand  dollars 
upon  her,  and  that  I  can't  do  it  unless  I  regain 
the  sketch  which  was  on  the  blank  half  of  that 
letter  sheet ;  your  sketch,  you'll  remember,  was 
on  the  back  of  the  written  portion.  Then,  if 
she  gives  me  the  entire  letter — 

"  Which  you  know  she  wouldn't  do." 

"  I  don't  see  why  not,  if  I  first  ask  her  to 
erase  the  writing.  Now,  my  dear  boy,  I  have 
you  at  my  mercy.  You're  on  your  way  back  to 
the  fort;  I  will  accompany  the  ladies  back  to 
New  York,  and " 

"  Aha !  You  will,  will  you  ?  "  exclaimed  the 
younger  man,  with  a  soldier's  instinctive  delight 
at  getting  an  enemy  at  a  disadvantage.  I'm  go 
ing  back  to  New  York  with  them  myself.  I've 
been  ordered  back,  on  duty." 

"  Hem  !     For  how  long,  may  I  ask  ?  " 

"  Well,  as  you  can  learn  by  inquiry  at  the  De 
partment,  I  may  as  well  tell  you  that  it  will  be 
for  a  week,  at  the  least." 

"  Suppose,  then,"  said  the  Admiral,  after  a 
moment  of  thought,  "that  we  agree  upon  an 


''BEYOND  THE  DREAM  OF  AVARICE."  199 

armistice.  You  go  to  New  York;  so  shall  I.  I 
shan't  annoy  you  in  your  special  business — never 
fear— and  I'll  give  you  a  full  week  in  which  to 
make  up  your  mind,  but  if  by  that  time  you 
haven't  procured  those  sketches  I  shall  charge 
myself  with  the  getting  of  them,  no  matter  how 
much  begging  and  arguing  may  be  required. 
Is  it  agreed  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  it  must  be,"  said  Jermyn.  "  You 
well  know  that  I  couldn't  willingly  deprive  you 
of  the  chance  to  make  fifty  thousand  dollars, 
after  all  you  have  done  for  me,  you  great-hearted 
old  rascal !  " 

"  Not  even  if  I  were  to  give  the  money  to  your 
wife  ?  "  said  the  Admiral,  with  a  world  of  shrewd 
ness  in  the  sidelong  look  with  which  he  regarded 
his  companion. 

"  You  know  very  well  that  I  wouldn't  allow 
you  to  do  such  a  thing  !  "  replied  Jermyn  angrily. 

"  Hurrah  !  "  shouted  the  Admiral. 

By  that  time  the  luncheon  was  ready,  and  the 
Admiral  made  himself  delightfully  companiona 
ble  to  the  ladies,  but  Jermyn  was  so  silent  and 
abstracted  that  even  Kate  rallied  him,  asking 
him  if  the  New  York  duties  which  the  War  De 
partment  had  imposed,  compelled  such  hard 
thinking  ?  Jermyn  replied  that  they  weren't, 
but  that  the  Admiral  had  just  given  him  the  most 
provoking  lot  of  orders  that  one  man  ever  re 
ceived  from  another,  so  both  ladies  insisted  at 
once  upon  knowing  what  the  orders  were,  and 
both  men  maintained  silence  to  a  degree  that 
was  simply  maddening,  so  Kate  quizzed  Jermyn 
privately,  and  he  told  her,  privately,  that  she 


200  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

mustn't  say  another  word  about  it.  Kate  after 
ward  told  Trif,  in  confidence,  that  she  must  have 
been  right  in  supposing  that  the  business  upon 
which  the  two  men  had  gone  North,  a  few  days 
before,  must  have  been  of  great  importance  to 
the  Government,  as  well  as  of  an  extremely  secret 
nature  ;  but  that,  nevertheless,  it  was  a  burning 
shame  that  older  officers  had  such  despotic  con 
trol  of  their  juniors,and  that  if  women  had  charge 
of  government  affairs,  there  would  not  be  any  of 
such  manifest  injustice. 

They  all  went  to  New  York  that  night.  While 
Jermyn  visited  the  Department  for  his  order,  the 
Admiral  scoured  Washington  for  the  projector 
of  the  gold  mine,  who  had  been  in  the  city  the 
day  before,  but  as  the  man  had  already  returned 
to  the  metropolis,  the  Admiral  intended  to  be  at 
his  elbow,  to  keep  the  promise  of  stock  alive  un 
til  the  sketches  could  be  obtained.  Should  there 
seem  to  be  any  danger,  he  would  promptly  break 
the  armistice  and  ask  Trif  for  the  fateful  letter. 

Suddenly,  however,  while  the  two  officers  were 
smoking  together  on  the  train,  Jermyn  struck 
terror  to  the  Admiral's  heart  by  saying : 

"  Your  plan  for  reclaiming  those  pictures  may 
be  of  no  good.  'Tis  more  than  likely  that  High- 
wood  has  destroyed  that  letter." 

"  My  dear  boy ! "  exclaimed  the  old  man. 
"  Please  don't  imagine  anything  so  dreadful ! 
Destroyed  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  ?  Hor 
rors  ! " 

"  I  think  it  likely,"  continued  Jermyn,  "for  at 
Old  Point  I  chanced  to  hear  Mrs.  Highwood 
say  that  after  carefully  reading  her  husband's 


*' BEYOND  THE  DREAM  OF  AVARICE."  201 

letters  she  always  destroyed  them,  so  that  no 
one  else  by  any  chance  could  see  them.  Like 
husband,  like  wife — you  know  the  old  saying." 

"  But  you  saw  the  letter  in  Highwood's  own 
hands,"  said  the  Admiral. 

"  True ;  but  at  that  time  his  wife  was  away, 
and  I  suppose  he  kept  all  of  her  letters  to  look 
at  again  and  again — I  am  sure  I  should  do  so, 
if  I  were  married  and  my  wife  was  away  from 
me." 

"  Good  boy  !  I'm  glad  to  see  that  you  already 
know  the  feeling.  Still — if  he  should  have  de 
stroyed  them ! " 

It  was  the  Admiral's  turn  to  be  strangely  si 
lent  during  the  evening,  and  the  ladies  marvelled 
greatly  at  the  change  in  a  man  who  had  seemed 
to  them  the  life  of  whatever  company  he  chanced 
to  be  in,  and  Kate  found  opportunity  to  whisper 
to  Trif  that  Jermyn  did  not  seem  to  be  entirely 
under  the  Admiral's  thumb  after  all,  for  he 
seemed  to  be  in  remarkably  good  spirits — com 
manding  spirits,  indeed,  she  could  say. 

At  a  part  of  the  road  over  which  the  train 
passed  early  in  the  night,  Jermyn  begged  the 
ladies  to  go  with  him  to  the  rear  platform  to 
observe  a  beautiful  moonlight  landscape  which 
he  knew  of  old.  The  Admiral,  who  remained 
behind  with  Trixy,  soon  began  to  sketch  on  the 
back  of  a  letter.  The  shrewd  old  chap  had 
argued  to  himself  that  if  the  letter  had  really 
been  destroyed  there  could  be  nothing  dishon 
orable  in  duplicating  his  own  sketch  on  the 
back  of  another  letter,  and  offering  it  in  evi 
dence.  It  would  be  virtually  the  same  picture, 
for  he  would  draw  it  from  memory,  as  before. 


202  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

He  worked  so  long  that  Trixy,  wishing  to  do 
something  new,  began  to  look  over  his  shoulder, 
and  soon  she  exclaimed: 

"Why-y-y!  I've  got  a  picture  just  like 
that." 

"  You  have  ?  "  replied  the  Admiral,  carelessly. 
"  That's  strange ;  where  did  you  get  it  ? " 

"  I  tore  it  off  a  letter— the  back  of  that  letter 
that  came  from  the  fort  one  day,  for  you,  don't 
you  know,  and  I  opened  it  by  mistake  while  I 
was " 

The  Admiral  dropped  pencil  and  paper, 
placed  his  hands  upon  Trixy 's  shoulders,  and 
exclaimed : 

"  You  have  that  picture  ?     Where  ?  " 

"  Why,  in  my  scrap-book,  at  home." 

"  Fifty  thousand  dollars  saved !  "  shouted  the 
Admiral.  He  was  anything  but  silent  when  the 
ladies  returned ;  indeed,  he  talked  so  incessantly 
that  Trif  had  to  break  in  upon  one  of  his  best 
stories  by  pleading  that  she  must  remove  some 
of  the  dust  of  travel  before  leaving  the  train  at 
New  York. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

TRICKS  UPON   TRIXY. 

A  FTER  reaching  New  York  the  Admiral  lost 
f\.  no  time  in  calling  at  the  Highwoods,  and 
although  he  tried  to  appear  at  his  best,  Fenie 
said  to  her  sister  in  strict  confidence  that  there 
must  be  something  about  sea  air  which  specially 
suited  veteran  sailors,  for  the  Admiral  did  not 
seem  the  same  man  he  had  been  at  Old  Point. 
He  was  genial,  courteous,  conversational,  witty, 
but  there  was  a  certain  indefinable  something 
lacking;  after  much  study,  the  girl  concluded 
that  the  difference  came  of  a  strange  absent- 
minded  manner  which  appeared  to  possess  him 
once  in  a  while,  for  no  apparent  reason. 

As  the  old  gentleman  had  spent  but  a  single 
hour  at  the  Highwoods  when  this  sage  conclu 
sion  was  announced,  Trif  called  her  sister  a 
goose,  and  said  she  had  been  carrying  Harry  in 
her  mind  so  long  that  she  was  incapable  of  judg 
ing  other  men  with  any  degree  of  fairness. 
Nevertheless,  Trif  told  her  husband  that  the 
Admiral  did  not  seem  entirely  himself. 

The  truth  was  that  the  old  gentleman  chanced 

to  call  at  an  hour  when  Trixy  was  calling  upon 

a  juvenile  acquaintance  a  few  squares  away, 

and  as  she  was  at  the  age  when  children  never 

(203) 


204  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

know  when  to  go  home  unless  they  are  sent 
away  or  sent  for,  the  Admiral  was  unable  to  ac 
complish  the  real  purpose  of  his  visit,  which 
was  to  see  Trixy's  scrap-book.  He  went  away 
with  about  as  uncomfortable  a  mind  as  you  or  I 
might  have,  dear  reader,  were  fifty  thousand 
dollars  almost  within  our  grasp,  yet  with  a 
child's  caprice  and  carelessness  somewhere  be 
tween  it  and  full  possession. 

The  Admiral  rested  badly  that  night,  but  he 
awoke  in  the  morning  with  a  capital  plan  of 
operations.  He  went  to  a  bookstore  and  pur 
chased  a  large  assortment  of  illustrated  papers, 
American  and  foreign,  and  sent  them  to  his  ho 
tel.  Then  he  made  a  morning  call  at  the  High- 
woods,  just  for  a  moment,  to  ask  if  he  might  not 
take  Trixy  to  walk  with  him.  The  child  was 
delighted,  especially  when  the  old  gentleman 
took  her  to  his  hotel  and  showed  her  all  his 
picture  papers,  and  asked  her  whether  she 
would  not  like  to  spend  the  following  morning 
with  him,  and  bring  her  scrap-book,  so  that  he 
and  she  might  paste  into  it  all  the  pictures  she 
might  select  from  his  papers. 

Success  being  thus  assured,  his  spirits  re 
turned  in  full  force,  so  that  after  he  called  on 
Kate  Trewman  in  the  afternoon  Kate  herself 
hurried  around  to  the  Highwoods  to  tell  them 
that  she  had  never  before  found  the  Admiral 
such  delightful  company,  and  that  evidently 
there  was  nothing  like  a  trip  to  New  York  to 
brighten  any  one's  wits.  Trif  and  Fenie  were 
mystified,  and  after  Kate's  departure  they  agreed 
that  there  must  be  something  in  advancing  years 
that  made  men  variable  in  spite  of  themselves. 


TRICKS  UPON  TRIXY.  205 

The  Admiral  lay  in  wait  for  Jermyn,  who  was 
to  dine  with  him  that  evening  after  returning 
from  the  gun-proving  grounds,  and  he  tormented 
the  young  man  so  unmercifully  about  the  letter 
that  Jermyn  wished  he  had  dined  alone.  The 
Admiral  could  afford  to  be  playful,  for  was  he 
not  sure  of  getting  at  least  one  of  the  pictures  ? 

The  next  morning  bright  and  early  he  called 
for  Trixy  and  her  scrap-book,  and  gallantly  in 
sisted  upon  relieving  her  of  the  weight  of  the 
book  itself ;  with  the  precious  volume  in  his 
hand  he  felt  as  if  the  stock  certificates  were 
already  in  his  possession.  He  hurried  the  child 
to  his  hotel,  heartlessly  passing  several  candy 
shops  and  two  soda-water  places,  until  some 
pointed  remarks  brought  him  to  a  proper  sense 
of  the  courtesies  due  to  very  young  ladies  who 
walk  with  gentlemen  of  mature  years. 

Trixy's  tongue,  never  inactive  for  many  mo 
ments  at  a  time,  was  entirely  loosened  by  the 
gratifying  flavors  imparted  to  it  by  the  Admiral's 
kindness,  so  its  owner  soon  began  to  talk  of  the 
two  subjects  which  were  uppermost  in  home 
conversation. 

"  Say,"  she  asked,  "  Mr.  Jermyn  don't  have 
to  be  killed  until  there  is  a  war,  does  he  ?" 

"  No  indeed,  my  dear,  nor  even  if  there  should 
be  a  war.  What  put  so  dreadful  an  idea  into 
your  head  ?" 

"  Oh,  only  that  mamma  says  it  would  be  so 
dreadful  when  Miss  Trewman  loves  him  so 
much.  Besides,  mamma  says  it  would  be  dread 
ful  hard  in  another  way,  'cause  the  Trewmans 
ain't  rich.  They  used  to  be,  but  their  father 


206  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

lost  a  lot  of  money  in  business  a  few  years  ago, 
and  papa  says  he  hasn't  got  it  back  yet." 

The  Admiral  quickly  lost  his  compunctions  of 
conscience  about  the  trick  he  intended  to  play, 
which  was  to  abstract  the  original  sketch  from 
Trixy 's  scrap-book  during  the  clipping  and 
pasting  operations  at  the  hotel,  and  substitute 
the  imitation  which  he  had  made  on  the  train. 
It  had  seemed  an  ungentlemanly  and  under 
handed  thing  to  do,  much  though  he  informed 
himself  that  the  result  would  not  injure  the 
child  in  anyway.  Now,  after  what  Trixy  had 
told  him  about  the  condition  of  the  Trewman 
finances,  it  would  be  a  matter  of  absolute  duty. 
Still  more,  he  would  fulfil  the  threat  he  had 
made  to  Jermyn,  in  case  Jermyn's  own  sketch 
could  not  be  recovered.  He  could  not  do  it  all 
at  once,  of  course ;  Jermyn's  pride  would  never 
allow  it,  but  he  would  make  the  bride  a  hand 
some  present  in  government  bonds  on  her  wed 
ding  day,  and  he  would  bequeath  the  remainder 
of  the  fifty  thousand  to  her  in  his  will,  and 
should  the  fortunes  of  war  or  peace  take  Jermyn 
from  earth  before  him,  he  would  see  that  the 
remainder  of  the  money  should  reach  the  widow 
at  once.  With  such  virtuous  and  unselfish  re 
solves,  what  harm  could  there  be  in  plundering 
a  small  girl's  scrap-book  ? 

"  Papa  says,"  continued  Trixy,  "  that  there  is 
no  sense  in  worryin'  about  it,  'cause  both  of  'em 
are  so  fond  of  each  other  that  they'd  marry  for 
love  even  if  they  had  to  starve  afterward.'' 

"  Hem  !  Quite  likely.  I  suspect  I  would,  if  I 
were  either  of  them.'' 


TRICKS  UPON  TRIXY.  207 

"  Is  that  so  ?  I  must  tell  mamma  that,  'cause 
p'raps  it  will  keep  her  from  worryin'.  Papa 
says  she  worries  too  much  about  her  friends' 
affairs." 

"  Er — my  dear,  I  wouldn't  say  anything  about 
it,  if  I  were  you ;  for  maybe  your  parents  might 
not  like  to  think  that  you  had  been  repeating 
any  of  their  conversation." 

It  took  considerable  effort  on  the  part  of  the 
Admiral  to  prevent  any  farther  disclosures,  and 
the  old  gentleman  was  very  glad  when  he  reached 
the  hotel,  and  an  examination  of  the  pictorial 
papers  gave  the  child  something  new  to  talk 
about.  The  Admiral  had  scissors  and  paste 
ready,  and  allowed  Trixy  to  clip  at  will  while  he 
endeavored  to  rob  the  scrap-book.  He  lost  no 
time  in  turning  the  pages,  but  a  hasty  exami 
nation  failed  to  disclose  the  sketch  which  rep 
resented  fifty  thousand  dollars,  so  he  looked 
again,  with  extreme  care.  Toward  the  end  his 
heart  sank,  and  at  the  last  page  he  uttered  a  low 
groan. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  Trixy,  looking 
up  from  her  work. 

"  I  beg  a  thousand  pardons,  my  dear.  I 
merely  gave  way,  for  an  instant,  to  a  bad  habit 
into  which  old  gentlemen  sometimes  fall.  How 
are  you  getting  along?  Oh,  you're  finding  a 
capital  lot,  aren't  you  ?  Don't  you  want  to  stop 
a  moment  or  two,  and  show  me  your  book  ?  " 

Trixy  began  at  once  to  turn  the  leaves,  and  to 
tell  the  story  of  each  picture.  The  Admiral 
listened  patiently  as  long  as  he  could,  but  soon 
he  said : 


2o8  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  Won't  you  show  me  the  one  that  is  like  the 
sketch  I  made  on  the  train  the  day  we  returned 
from  Washington  ?  " 

"  Certainly."  Trixy  turned  the  pages  rapidly, 
but  suddenly  stopped  and  looked  puzzled ;  then 
she  exclaimed : 

"  Somebody's  hooked  it,  I  do  believe  !  " 

"  Oh,  don't  say  that !  "  said  the  Admiral,  in  a 
shaky  voice.  "  Look  again  ;  perhaps  you  have 
pasted  some  other  picture  over  it." 

"  No  I  didn't.  I  know  just  where  I  had  it  in 
the  book ;  it  was  right  here,  by  the  picture 
Aunt  Fee  made  of  some  of  the  sand  hills  behind 
the  fort,  because  they  were  the  only  two  drawin's 
I  had.  And  now  there  ain't  nothin  there  !  " 

The  Admiral  looked  carefully  at  the  page. 
Evidently  something  had  been  pasted  there,  and 
Vvith  childish  lavishness  of  mucilage.  It  could 
not  have  dropped  out,  for  bits  of  paper  still 
adhered  to  the  page.  It  was  plain  that  some  one 
had  carefully  removed  the  sketch. 

"Trixy,"  said  the  Admiral,  as  a  suspicion 
came  into  his  mind,  "  have  you  ever  shown  this 
book  to  Lieutenant  Jermyn  ?  " 

"  No,  never.  He  ain't  ever  at  our  house  long 
enough  for  me  to  show  him  anything." 

"  Have  you  loaned  the  book  to  any  other  little 
girl,  or  exchanged  pictures  with  any  one  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed !  Besides,  I  was  keepin'  that 
picture  real  careful,  to  remind  me  of  somethin' — 
mamma  told  me  to.  She  told  me  that  whenever 
I  looked  at  that  picture  I  must  remember  to 
never  again  take  any  writin'  from  her  portfolio 
and  ask  other  people  to  finish  it  for  me.  I'd 


TRICKS  UPON  TRIXY.  209 

just  like  to  know  what's  happened  to  that  pic 
ture;  I'm  goin'  to  ask  ev'rybocly  about  it  as 
soon  as  I  get  back  home.'' 

"  Oh,  don:t,  please,"  said  the  Admiral  hastily, 
"  or  you'll  make  me  very  unhappy." 

"What  for?" 

"  Oh.  I  should  dislike  to  have  your  father  and 
mothc"  and  aunt  annoyed  about  so  slight  a 
matter --so  far  as  I  am  concerned;  and  you 
wouldn't  have  thought  of  it,  you  know,  if  I 
hadn't  spoken  of  it." 

"  But  they  wouldn't  be  annoyed,  and  p'raps 
one  of  'em  knows  where  the  picture  is." 

'•  Eh  ?  Which  of  them?"  The  old  gentle 
man  looked  keenly  over  the  tops  of  his  glasses 
as  a  new  thought  came  to  him. 

"  Why,  pap::,  !  guess,  'cause  he's  got  a  picture 
a  good  deal  like  it  on  the  back  of  a  letter  that 
mamma  wrote  him,  and  I  saw  him  lookin'real 
hard  at  it  the  other  day,  and  I  asked  him  what 
'twas  about,  and  he  said,  '  Oh,  nothin'.  " 

"Aha!" 

"  What  did  you  say  ?  " 

'•'Did  I  say  something?  I  must  have  been 
merely  clearing  my  throat." 

'•  What  a  funny  lot  of  noises  you  do  make  this 
mornin'.  Well,  I  guess  I'll  paste  some  pictures 
.n  the  book  " 

The  Admiral  lit  a  cigar,  an  indulgence  of 
which  he  never  was  guilty  before  dinner,  except 
when  laboring  under  severe  mental  excitement. 
One  tiling  at  least  seemed  clear;  the  letter,  with 
Jcrmyn's  sketch,  had  not  been  destroyed  ;  there 
fore  he,  the  Admiral,  could  hope  to  get  it,  for 
14 


210  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

men  knew  better  than  women  the  value  of  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  and  they  would  forgive  other 
men  for  asking  pointed  questions  under  the 
circumstances. 

But  had  Phil  the  Admiral's  own  sketch  ?  If 
so,  why  had  he  taken  it  from  the  book  ?  Merely 
to  tease  Trixy  ?  Scarcely. 

Suddenly  the  Admiral  smote  his  forehead 
and  muttered  to  himself; 

"  How  stupid  of  me.  Mrs.  Highwood  herself 
removed  that  picture.  She  knew  that  her 
daughter  had  it ;  she  knew  the  history  of  it,  for 
I  told  her  all,  and  she  can  scarcely  have  for 
gotten  it.  She  has  a  woman's  natural  delicacy, 
bless  her,  about  the  incident  being  recalled  to 
my  mind,  so  knowing  that  Trixy  was  to  bring 
the  book  to  my  room  she  has  abstracted  the 
sketch  so  that  I  should  not  see  it  and  be  re 
minded  of  a  mortifying  experience.  Oh,  woman, 
woman  !  How  you  do  keep  alive  the  human 
tenderness  that  man  does  so  much  to  kill !  " 

Suddenly,  however,  the  Admiral  sprang  to  his 
feet  and  exclaimed : 

"  What  if,  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  she 
has  destroyed  that  sketch  !  " 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THREE    BLIND    MICE. 

FROM  that  time  forward  the  Admiral  was  a 
persistent  caller  at  the  Highwoods,  for  he 
could  not  regain  his  natural  composure  until  he 
had  seen  and  questioned  Phil.  The  first  evening 
he  called  Phil  had  gone  out  to  dinner  with  some 
old  classmates,  and  as  the  Admiral  said  nothing 
of  the  purpose  of  his  visit  there  was  nothing  to 
prevent  Phil  from  remaining  late  at  his  office 
the  next  night. 

All  the  while,  too,  Jermyn,  whom  the  Admiral 
met  daily  at  breakfast,  carried  himself  with  an 
air  of  bravado  which  was  in  the  highest  degree 
exasperating.  Was  it  possible  that  the  fellow 
had  himself  secured  those  sketches  in  some  way, 
and  was  having  a  malignantly  delightful  time  in 
torturing  an  old  man  who  had  been  his  best 
friend  ?  It  did  not  seem  possible,  so  one  morn 
ing  the  Admiral  cautiously  remarked  : 

"  By  the  way,  have  you  done  anything  about 
those  sketches  ?" 
"  Not  a  thing." 

"  You  don't  know  anything  about  them  ?" 
"  No  more  than  when  we  first  came  North." 
"  When  do  you  intend  to  find  out  ?" 
"  Never,  if  there's  no  way  but  the  one  you 
have  suggested." 

(211) 


212  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  I  don't  wonder,"  said  the  Admiral  icily, 
"  that  you're  willing  to  lose  your  share  of  the 
money,  for  a  man  in  love  is  generally  fool  enough 
to  think  that  he,  and  particularly  his  wife,  can 
live  on  air,  but " 

"Admiral!" 

"  Oh,  be  angry,  if  you  like,  but  1  mean  it.  On 
the  other  hand,  do  you  think  it  is  conduct  be 
coming  an  officer  and  gentleman  to  deprive  me 
of  a  lot  of  money  when  I've  several  times  put 
myself  to  great  inconvenience,  out  of  unselfish 
regard  for  you  ?" 

"  I'd  do  almost  anything  in  the  world  to  oblige 
you,  Admiral,"  replied  Jerrnyn,  "but  after  what 
you've  said  regarding  what  you  might  do  with 
your  share  of  the  money,  you  can't  blame  me 
for  being  reluctant." 

"  See  here,  dear  boy,"  pleaded  the  Admiral, 
"I'll  withdraw  that  threat  if  you'll  get  merely 
your  own  sketch.  I'll  cheerfully  lose  my  own 
share,  if  I  may  feel  entirely  comfortable  about 
your  future." 

That  shot  told.  Jermyn  could  not  endure  the 
thought  of  any  man  playing  martyr  for  him,  so 
he  answered  somewhat  sulkily  : 

"  I  must  do  it." 

"  Good  !     When  ?" 

"  Very  soon." 

"  Time  is  precious,  dear  boy."  Then  the  Ad 
miral  told  of  his  plan  regarding  Trixy's  scrap- 
book,  and  his  defeat,  and  finally  asked : 

"  Don't  you  suppose  you  cou'd  make  another 
sketch  of  the  surroundings  of  that  placer  as  you 
did  at  the  fort  ?" 


THREE  BLIND  MICE.  213 

"  Easily." 

The  Admiral  hastily  offered  the  back  of  a  let 
ter  and  a  pencil,  and  followed  with  his  eyes  each 
mark  that  Jermyn  made.  When  the  sketch  was 
almost  complete,  Jermyn  stopped  and  asked : 

"  Why  do  you  want  this,  Admiral  ?  " 

"  For  use  as  a  voucher,  in  case  your  original 
should  be  lost." 

"  Oh,  that  would  be  a  forgery !  " 

"  Nonsense  !  Can  a  man  forge  his  own  signa 
ture  ?  What  would  you  say  in  answer  to  that 
question,  if  you  were  member  of  a  court-martial  ?" 

"  I  scarcely  know,"  replied  Jermyn  slowly, 
"but — "  here  he  paused  long  enough  to  tear  the 
paper  into  strips,  and  tear  the  strips  crosswise, 
"  I  must  give  my  honor  the  benefit  of  the  doubt.1' 

"  Oh,  you  idiot,"  exclaimed  the  old  gentleman 
angrily.  "  You're  worse  than  an  idiot,  for  you're 
intimating  that  I,  an  officer  and  gentleman,  am 
counselling  a  crime." 

"  Forgive  me,  Admiral.  You  know  very  well 
that  I  couldn't,  for  an  instant,  think  such  a 
thing.  Still,  any  man  must  be  ruled  by  his  own 
conscience." 

Jermyn  went  down  to  the  Sandy  Hook  proving- 
grounds,  and  the  Admiral  spent  a  miserable 
day,  relieved  somewhat  by  a  call  upon  Kate,  to 
whom  he  determined  to  tell  the  whole  story,  and 
to  appeal  to  her,  first  for  Jermyn's  sake  and  then 
for  his  own,  to  help  him  to  get  those  sketches. 
He  knew  women,  he  thought ;  Kate  was  a  young 
woman  of  unusual  balance  of  mind,  so  she  prob 
ably  had  been  sensible  enough  to  wonder  on 
what  she  and  Jermyn  would  live  after  they  mar- 


214  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

ried.  They  would  soon  marry,  the  Admiral  was 
sure ;  for  love,  like  many  other  disturbances  to 
which  humanity  is  subject,  acts  most  powerfully 
where  longest  delayed  or  avoided. 

But,  alas,  for  human  courage  !  The  veteran 
who  had  led  boarding  parties  and  storming 
parties,  could  not  muster  sufficient  courage  to 
tell  a  woman  that  another  woman  had  been  bent 
upon  making  a  match  for  her,  and  that  two  men, 
one  of  whom  was  the  young  woman's  own  lover, 
had  seen  the  plan  in  black  and  white,  while  Kate 
herself  had  no  thought  of  ever  becoming  Mrs. 
Jermyn. 

So  he  called  again  at  the  Highwoods,  made  a 
full  confession  to  Trif  and  her  husband,  and 
begged  for  the  sketches.  Fortunately,  the  couple 
were  alone,  Harry  and  Fenie  having  gone  to  a 
dinner  which  the  Trewmans  were  giving  to  both 
happy  couples.  Phil  seemed  greatly  amused  by 
the  story,  and  said  : 

*'  So  that  explains  the  mystery  of  those  two 
pictures  !  "  Then,  for  the  first  time,  he  told  Trif 
of  meeting  Jermyn  in  Madison  Square,  and  of 
Jermyn's  strange  embarrassment  on  seeing  one 
of  the  pictures,  and  how  Phil  himself  had 
chanced  to  see  the  other,  only  two  or  three  days 
before  the  Admiral's  call,  in  Trixy's  scrap-book, 
extracted  it,  and  put  the  two  together  to  make  a 
pretense  of  mystery  some  evening  for  Trif 's  be 
wilderment  and  his  own  amusement. 

"  You  dreadful  fellow !  "  exclaimed  Trif. 
"  The  idea  of  you  keeping  a  secret  from  me — 
and  for  three  whole  days  !  " 

"But,  pardon  me,"  said  the  Admiral,  "do 
either  of  you  find  it  impossible  to  forgive  me  ? " 


THREE  BLIND  MICE.  215 

"  On  the  contrary,"  replied  Phil,  "  it  is  impos 
sible  to  see  where  you  were  to  blame.  Trixy 
herself  took  the  letter  to  you  and  asked  you  to 
finish  it,  so  you  couldn't  help  reading  it.  Nei 
ther  could  you  help  supposing  it  to  be  what  she 
thought  it,  her  own  letter,  for  it  began  '  Dear 
Old  Papa.' " 

"  But,''  persisted  the  Admiral,  "  I  was  guilty, 
shamefully  so,  that  in  my  absent-mindedness  I 
took  it  from  my  pocket  at  the  club,  to  sketch 
upon.'' 

"Just  as  I  frequently  use  letters  to  figure 
upon,"  said  Phil. 

"  Thank  you — thank  you.  And  poor  Jermyn, 
in  making  his  own  sketch,  and  knowing,  of 
course,  the  subject  of  conversation,  looked  at 
the  written  portion,  supposing  it  to  be  some 
thing  pertinent  to  the  subject." 

"  Quite  naturally,  and  each  of  you  afterward 
had  a  lot  of  trouble  which  he  didn't  in  the  least 
deserve." 

"I  don't  see,"  said  Trif,  "that  anyone  is  to 
blame  but  I.  The  experience  teaches  me  never 
again  to  leave  a  letter  unfinished." 

"  Thank  you,  my  dear,"  said  Phil.  "  You  see, 
Admiral,  that  your  loss  is  to  be  my  gain.  Here 
after  I'm  not  to  be  disappointed  when  longing 
for  letters." 

"  What  letters,  papa  ?  "  asked  Trixy  from  the 
sitting-room,  where  she  was  conducting  a  spell 
ing  lesson  for  dolls. 

"  None,  dear —  tis  nothing  that  you  would 
understand.'' 

"  If  there  is  no  feeling  against  me,  therefore," 


2i6  TRIP  AND  TR1XY. 

said  the  Admiral,  adhering  to  the  purpose  of  his 
call,  "would  you  mind,  after  erasing  Mrs.  High- 
wood's  lines,  giving  the  sketches  to  me  ?" 

"  It  will  give  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to  place 
them  in  your  hands,"  said  Phil,  taking  some 
papers  from  the  pocket  of  his  coat.  "  Why, 
they're  not  here!  Hem!  Ah,  I  remember;  I 
changed  some  papers  hurriedly  this  morning  to 
my  coat  at  the  office,  and  apparently  those  were 
among  them.  I'll  get  them  to  you  to-morrow, 
and  leave  them  at  your  hotel  as  I  come  up 
town." 

"I  shall  be  there  to  receive  them,"  said  the 
Admiral,  putting  on  a  look  of  resignation.  "  Ex 
cuse  my  eagerness  and  anxiety  in  the  matter, 
but  those  sketches  have  become  a  veritable 
nightmare  to  me." 

"  I  don't  wonder,"  said  Phil,  "  considering 
what  they  represent.  Trixy,  dear,  don't  laugh 
so  loud.  What  is  the  matter  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I'm  tellin'  the  dolls  somethin'  funny, 
and  I  have  to  do  the  laughin'  for  the  whole  lot 
of  them,  don't  you  see  ?  " 

"  Bless  the  child ! "  exclaimed  the  Admiral. 
"  Don't  check  her,  please.  I  wonder  if  the  dolls 
would  think  it  an  intrusion  if  I  were  to  look 
on?" 

"  Phil  I  "  said  Trif,  suddenly. 

"  Yes,  my  dear." 

"  Do  you  want  to  please  me  very  much  ?" 

"  You  know  I  do." 

"  Then  go  down  to  your  office  to-night  for 
those  sketches — it  isn't  yet  late  enough  for  the 
janitor  to  be  asleep.  I'm  sure  that  our  friend 


THREE  BLIND  MICE.  217 

the  Admiral,  will  sleep  much  easier  when  he  has 
those  pictures  securely  in  his  possession." 

"  Oh,  I  couldn't  think  of  putting  you  to  such 
trouble,"  said  the  Admiral  quickly,  although  he 
told  himself  that  Trif  was  a  woman  of  a  million. 
Trif  insisted,  and  begged  the  Admiral  to  wait 
until  Phil's  return.  It  seemed  to  the  old  gentle 
man  that  every  minute  of  Phil's  absence  would 
be  an  hour  long,  yet  under  Trif's  influence  the 
minutes  passed  almost  as  quickly  as  seconds,  so 
before  long  Phil  s  step  was  heard  in  the  hall. 
Trif  and  the  Admiral  instinctively  arose,  but  to 
their  surprise  they  saw  a  very  blank  face  as  Phil 
exclaimed : 

"  Tis  the  most  provoking  thing  that  ever 
happened.  Those  sketches  are  nowhere  in  the 
office." 

"  What  can  have  become  of  them  ? "  mur 
mured  Trif. 

"  I've  not  the  faintest  idea.  Here  are  some 
more  papers  that  were  in  the  same  pocket.'' 

'"  Foiled  again,'  as  the  villain  always  says  in 
a  melodrama,"  remarked  the  Admiral;  "kindly 
consider  me  the  villain."  The  old  gentleman 
was  trying  to  make  light  of  his  disappointment, 
but  he  looked  so  grave  that  Phil  hastened  to 
say  : 

':  I  assure  you,  Admiral,  that  the  sketches  can 
not  possibly  have  been  lost,  nor  can  any  one 
have  stolen  them.  '  I  shall  make  thorough 
search  for  them  at  once,  and  give  myself  no 
peace  until  I  have  found  them." 

'•  I  beg  that  you  won't  put  yourself  to  any  in 
convenience,''  said  the  Admiral.  Nevertheless, 


2i8  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

he  made  haste  to  take  his  departure,  hoping 
that  the  search  would  begin  at  once  and  con 
tinue  through  the  night,  unless  the  missing  pa 
pers  were  sooner  found. 

"  I  shall  carry  them  to  you,  in  person,  as  soon 
as  I  get  them,"  were  Phil's  parting  words. 

"  Come  at  any  hour,"  replied  the  Admiral. 
"  Don't  fear  that  you  may  disturb  me." 

Then  he  went  to  his  hotel,  and  hopefully, 
fearfully,  remained  awake  until  and  through  the 
"  dog  watch  "  hours,  but  in  vain. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE   OTHER   COUPLE. 

AS  Harry  and  Fenie  had  no  prospective  for 
tunes  complicated  by  scraps  of  paper  in 
another  man's  pocket,  they  had  every  reason  to 
be  entirely  happy,  yet  soon  they  found  them 
selves  very  much  to  the  contrary.  Fenie  had 
begun  early,  like  a  loyal  wife  that  was  to  be,  to 
tell  Harry  of  everything  that  was  on  her  mind, 
and  Harry,  like  a  good  brother,  began  to  be 
concerned  about  his  sister's  prospects.  The 
family  fortunes  were  not  in  as  bad  condition  as 
Trixy  had  led  the  Admiral  to  fear,  but  what 
loving  brother  could  be  entirely  cheerful  while 
his  sister  was  in  danger  of  losing  fifty  thousand 
dollars  ? 

He  began  to  be  absent-minded  at  home,  and 
Kate  quickly  noticed  it,  and  asked  him  what  was 
the  matter,  and  when  he  replied,  "  Nothing,"  he 
did  it  in  a  tone  that  whatever  was  the  matter 
was  the  reverse  of  nothing,  so  she  set  herself  to 
discovering  what  it  could  be.  She  at  once 
assumed  that  it  was  trouble  of  some  sort  be 
tween  him  and  Fenie,  and  she  determined  to 
rectify  it,  no  matter  what  it  might  be.  They 
were  mere  children,  Harry  and  Fenie,  in  Kate's 
estimation,  and  would  need  her  sisterly  care  and 
supervision  until  they  were  safely  married. 
(219) 


220  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

With  the  best  of  intentions  she  called  upon 
Fenie  to  find  out  all  about  it,  and  she  found  the 
girl  in  a  state  of  high  excitement,  for  she  had 
been  helping  Trif  to  search  every  pkice  in  the 
house  where  those  a\vful  sketches  could  possibly 
have  been  put,  for  Phil,  like  many  another  man, 
was  an  adept  at  dropping  the  contents  of  his 
pockets  in  unexpected  places.  Kate  was  think 
ing  of  nothing  but  the  business  on  which  she 
had  come,  so  she  proceeded  promptly  to  business. 

"  Harry  seems  quite  unhappy,"  she  began 
bluntly.  "  He  is  entirely  unlike  his  usual  merry 
self." 

"  Indeed?''  replied  Fenie  vacantly. 

"  Yes ;  he  looks  as  if  he  had  slept  scarcely  a 
wink  last  night." 

"  Pshaw !  "  exclaimed  Fenie  with  a  slight 
frown. 

Kate  was  somewhat  provoked  at  this,  but  she 
controlled  herself  and  continued  : 

"  I  asked  him  what  was  troubling  him,  but  he 
wouldn't  tell  me,  although  he  has  always  made 
me  his  confidant." 

Fenie  looked  uncomfortable,  but  she  showed 
no  sign  of  becoming  communicative,  so  Kate 
went  on  : 

"  Don't  you  suppose  I  would  be  of  any  sendee 
to  you  or  him  in  the  matter  ?  " 

"  Not  in  the  slightest  degree,"  said  Fenie, 
with  a  start.  She  was  thinking  only  of  the 
ridiculousness  of  Kate  assisting  at  the  work  of 
rummaging  the  pockets  of  the  various  garments 
which  Phil  had  worn  since  he  missed  the 
sketches,  but  Kate  naturally  failed  to  imagine 
that,  so  she  misconstrued  the  gesture. 


THE  OTHER  COUPLE.  221 

"  I  do  hope,  dear,"  she  said,  as  sympathetically 
as  she  could,  ''  that  it  isn't  anything  serious  !  " 

"  But  it  is,''  said  Fenie,  looking  as  if  she  would 
like  the  subject  dropped.  For  that  very  reason 
Kate  clung  to  it  determinedly. 

"  Serious? — for  two  people  who  ought  to  love 
each  other  very  dearly  ? '' 

"  Yes,''  replied  Fenie  bluntly.  She  was  afraid 
to  say  much,  for,  if  she  gave  Kate  any  clue  to 
the  matter,  she  did  not  know  how  much  further 
she  might  be  persuaded  to  go.  She  knew  that 
her  tongue  sometimes  ran  away  with  her,  and 
she  was  not  going  to  let  Kate  know  anything 
about  the  missing  letter  and  its  double  contents. 

Suddenly  T:  if,  who  did  not  know  that  there 
was  a  visitor  in  the  parlor,  called  Fenie,  and  the 
girl,  glad  of  an  excuse,  hurried  away  with  the 
promise  that  she  would  return  in  a  moment. 
When,  however,  she  explained  to  her  sister,  Trif 
tokl  her  she  was  very  silly  not  to  see  that  Kate 
was  misunderstanding  matters,  and  supposing 
there  was  trouble  between  Fenie  and  Harry. 

"  But,''  said  Fenie,  "  as  she  already  knows  that 
it  concerns  a  couple  who  ought  to  love  each  other 
very  dearly — those  were  her  own  words  —  she  will 
think  there  is  something  wrong  between  her  and 
Jermyn,  or  between  you  and  Phil."  Trif  was  per 
plexed  by  this  view  of  the  matter,  so  she  and 
her  sister  set  themselves  to  devise  some  way  of 
throwing  Kate  off  the  scent,  and,  as  neither  of 
them  had  any  experience  in  deceit,  they  evolved 
and  discarded  several  plans  in  rapid  succession. 

Kate  was  becoming  rostive.  She  had  a  wo 
man's  sense  of  the  courtesy  that  was  due  her,  and 


222  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

she  began  to  feel  hurt  by  what  seemed  to  be  neg 
lect.  Just  then  Trixy  meandered  into  the  par 
lor,  from  nowhere  in  particular,  and  Kate  had 
no  scruples  about  questioning  her. 

'•  Trixy,  dear," she  said,  "  I'm  very  glad  to  see 
you.'' 

Trixy  indulged  in  a  long  stare  before  she 
replied : 

"  That's  funny  !  You  don't  look  as  if  you  was.'' 

"  Don't  I  ?  I'm  very  sorry  for  it.  Th".  truth 
is,  I'm  greatly  troubled  about  several  things. 
I'm  afraid,  for  one  thing,  that  Harry  and  Fenie 
aren't  as  happy  as  they  have  been.'' 

"  I  guess  you're  right,"  was  the  reply,  "though 
I  wouldn't  have  thought  of  it  if  you  hadn't  said 
so.  They  talked  awful  solemn  to  each  other  last 
night.  I  don't  know  what  they  was  talkin' 
about,  but  once  Harry  put  his  hands  all  over  his 
face  and  said  :  '  Oh,  'twill  be  awful— awful ! '' 

"  Dear  me  !  And  what  did  your  Aunt  Fee 
say  ?  " 

"She  didn't  say  nothin'  for  a  long  time,  and 
then  she  said  she  thought  he  was  makin'  alto 
gether  too  much  fuss  about  it." 

"About  what?" 

"  I  don't  know,  except  she  said  somethin' 
about  Mr.  Jermyn  bein'  a  real  nne  fellow  anyway, 
so  she  thought  Harry  ought  to  be  quiet,  and 
make  the  best  of  it." 

Jermyn !  Aha !  Harry  was  jealous !  How 
much  cause  had  he?  If  any,  then  she,  Kate, 
had  quite  as  much.  Oh,  the  ways  of  very  young 
women  !  Was  Fenie's  head  still  turned  by  the 
attention  which  Jermyn  had  paid  her  at  Old 


THE  OTHER  COUPLE.  223 

Point?  Had  she  really  lost  her  heart  to  him? 
Was  she  tiring  of  Harry,  and  wishing  she  might 
yet  capture  the  officer  ?  Jermyn  had  admitted 
to  Kate  that  he  had  been  greatly  impressed  by 
Fenie  until  she,  Kate,  herself  appeared  on  the 
scene,  but  it  couldn't  be  possible  that  he 

"Trixy?"'  said  Kate  suddenly,  "does  Lieu 
tenant  Jermyn  come  here  often?"  She  was 
ashamed  of  herself  as  soon  as  she  had  spoken, 
for  when  could  he  call  ?  Was  he  not  at  the 
proving-grounds  all  day,  and  at  Kate's  own 
home  every  evening  until  late  ?  Still,  the 
question  had  been  asked,  so  she  awaited  the 
answer. 

"  Why,  no.  He  came  here  this  mornin',  very 
early,  and — 

"And  your  mamma  saw  him  ?" 

"  No,  mamma  was  out." 

"  So  you  entertained  him  ?" 

"  No,  I  didn't  either.  I  wanted  to,  'cause  I 
like  him  lots,  but  he  and  Aunt  Fee  began  talkin' 
about  a  letter,  and  then  Aunt  Fee  told  me  to  get 
all  my  new  dolls  to  show  him,  now  that  they've 
all  got  new  dresses,  and  it  took  me  a  lot  of  time 
to  get  them  all  together,  and  when  I  came  back 
with  'em  he  was  gone." 

Kate  was  angry,  but  of  one  thing  she  informed 
herself  at  once — it  was  that  she  was  not  going 
to  lose  Bruce  Jermyn  because  of  any  flirtation 
he  might  have  had  with  that  flighty  girl,  or  of 
any  letters  that  might  have  passed  between 
them.  Men  would  be  flirts,  she  supposed — that 
is,  bachelors  would — but  she  would  marry  Bruce 
Jermyn,  even  if  he  had  flirted  with  half  the 


2i4  TRIP  AND   TRIXY. 

women  in  creation.  She  had  long  cherished  the 
fine  belief  that  no  man  ever  strays  from  a  woman 
who  appreciates  him ;  when  she  became  Mrs. 
Jermyn  she  would  be  everything  to  him  that 
wife  could  be  to  husband,  and  then  she  would 
defy  anyone,  even  a  girl  as  pretty  as  Fenie,  to 
get  and  keep  a  bit  of  his  heart. 

As  to  Fenie,  it  would  break  Harry's  heart  to 
lose  her,  and  if  temptation  were  out  of  her  way 
she  probably  would  love  Harry  sincerely  after 
they  were  married.  Jermyn  would  be  out  of  the 
way  in  a  day  or  two, — but,  oh,  how  she  did  wish 
she  knew  what  was  in  the  letter  which  the  two 
had  talked  about  ? 

Fenie  finally  returned  and  Kate  said  to  her: 

"You  expect  Harry  this  evening,  I  suppose?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  suppose  so." 

"  I  hope  you  will  have  a  very  pleasant  evening 
with  each  other." 

"  Oh,  so  do  I.  I  hope  it  will  be  pleasanter 
than  last  evening.  If  that  dreadful  let " 

Fenie  stopped  abruptly,  but  it  was  too  late. 
Kate  was  regarding  her  searchingly,  and  Feme's 
face  became  scarlet. 

"  What  letter  do  you  refer  to  ?" 

"  Oh,  don't  ask,  please."  Fenie  felt  that  she 
should  scream. 

"A  letter  which  has  made  much  unhappiness 
for  you  and  Harry?'' 

"Yes;  yes;  oh, yes!"  Fenie  looked  so  miser 
able  that  Kate  almost  forgave  her.  After  all, 
was  she  not  a  mere  girl?  Perhaps  a  womanly 
word,  spoken  in  season,  might  do  her  good, 
beside  providing  peace  for  Kate's  own  mind  in 
the  future.  So  she  began : 


THE  OTHER  COUPLE.  225 

"  I  believe  you're  real  sorry  about  it." 

"  Oh,  indeed  I  am ;  sorrier  than  I  can  begin 
to  tell  you." 

"  Then,  dear,"  said  Kate,  compelling  a  genu 
ine  pardoning  spirit  to  take  possession  of  herself, 
"try  to  think  no  more  about  it,  no  matter  what 
the  contents  of  the  letter  may  be.  Let  bygones 
be  bygones.  Some  things  must  be  lived  down, 
if  we  are  to  be  all  we  should.  Do  your  share 
toward  it,  and  all  may  yet  be  well." 

"  But  you— and  Jermyn— : 

So  Jermyn  really  was  implicated  !  Neverthe 
less,  Kate  set  her  lips  firmly  and  replied  : 

"Jermyn  shall  live  it  down;  I  shall  never 
recall  the  matter  to  his  attention,  but  shall 
do  all  in  my  power  to  make  him  forget  the 
letter." 

"  But,"  said  Fenie,  with  a  wondering  look, 
"  how  did  you  chance  to  know  anything  about 
it?" 

"  Never  mind  about  that.  You  still  love 
Harry,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  yes !  " 

"And  you  will  show  him  that  letter — after 
you  are  married  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes — if  it  is  ever  found." 

Kate  wanted  one  more  proof  of  Fenie's  re 
pentance  ;  it  was  a  hard  one  to  exact,  but  she 
was  determined  to  have  it. 

"  You  will  show  the  letter  to  me  too  ?  " 

"  Yes — after  you  are  married,  and  if  you'll 
promise  to  forgive  us." 

"I  do  promise — now  !"  said  Kate,  and  de 
parted  with  the  air  of  one  who  had  done  a  noble 
15 


226  TRIF  AXD   TRIXY. 

deed,  while  Fenie  hurried  to  Trif  and  told  her 
that  Kate  already  knew  about  that  letter, 
despite  all  that  had  been  done  to  keep  any 
knowledge  of  it  from  her,  and  Trif  wondered 
how  she  could  have  learned,  and  said  that 
Harry  must  have  told  her,  and  Fenie  retorted 
that  Harry  was  no  tell-tale  child,  and  that  it 
must  have  been  Jermyn  or  the  Admiral,  and 
that  whichever  it  was  he  was  real  mean,  for 
hadn't  Trif,  while  writing  the  letter,  planned 
merely  what  had  come  to  pass,  to  the  manifest 
delight  of  the  parties  most  nearly  interested? 

Kate  improved  her  first  opportunity  to  warn 
her  brother  against  long  engagements,  and 
Harry  asked  whether  she  herself  was  willing  to 
practice  what  she  preached,  and  Kate  bravely 
answered  that  she  was. 

"  But  let  that  subject  rest,  for  the  present," 
she  said.  "  I've  learned  some  things  accident 
ally  to-day,  and  I  don't  wonder  that  you  have 
been  so  unhappy  for  a  day  or  two.  You  needn't 
be  afraid  to  call  on  Fenie  this  evening.  There 
will  be  nothing  unpleasant.'' 

"  My  dear  sister  !"  exclaimed  Harry,  "what 
are  you  talking  about  ?  What  have  you  learned, 
and  where,  and  how  ?  " 

"  Entirely  by  accident.     Trixy " 

"  Trixy  ?  Goodness  !  Will  that  child  never 
cease  to  make  trouble?" 

Then  Harry  dashed  out  of  the  room. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THREE    DAYS   GRACE. 

THE  Admiral  worried  himself  almost  sick 
over  Phil  Highwood's  inability  to  find  the 
missing  sketches,  and  his  condition  of  mind  and 
body  was  not  improved  by  a  meeting  which  he 
had  with  the  projector  of  the  new  mining  com 
pany.  That  gentleman  insisted  that  the  sketches 
should  be  filed  at  once,  for  his  promise  from  his 
fellow-incorporators  had  been  merely  verbal, 
and  he  warned  the  Admiral  that  such  promises 
were  frequently  ignored  in  business,  and  that 
he,  the  projector,  would  be  powerless  to  force 
the  matter  should  his  associates  vote  against 
him. 

The  Admiral  explained  the  cause  of  the  delay 
and  the  importance  of  the  matter  to  Jermyn  in 
particular,  and  this  affected  the  projector  so 
strongly,  he  once  having  been  a  poor  young  man 
engaged  to  be  married,  that  he  succeeded  in  ex 
acting  from  the  directors  a  written  promise  that 
if  the  sketches  were  deposited  with  the  com 
pany  within  three  days  from  date  the  stock 
should  be  delivered;  otherwise  it  would  be  dis 
posed  of  elsewhere. 

All  this  caused  the  old  gentleman  to  once 
more  speak  to  Jermyn  about  the  matter,  and 


223  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

Jermyn,  noting  the  condition  to  which  excite 
ment  had  brought  his  friend,  and  not  knowing 
that  the  Admiral  had  already  made  a  clean 
breast  of  the  matter  to  the  Highwoods,  one 
morning  went  to  throw  himself  upon  Trif's 
mercy,  but,  as  already  intimated,  he  saw  only 
Fcnie.  He  succeeded  in  telling  her  the  story, 
but  when  he  learned  that  the  sketches  had  dis 
appeared  he  became  about  as  miserable  as  the 
Admiral. 

Had  he  spoken  when  first  the  sketches  were 
asked  for,  there  would  have  been  no  trouble,  he 
learned;  he  therefore  reproached  himself  se 
verely  for  his  friend's  sake  and  for  Kate's,  and 
began  wondering  how  he  could  ever  make 
amends  to  the  man  who  had  done  so  much  for 
him.  As  an  army  officer's  opportunities  for 
making  fifty  thousand  dollars  are  practically 
non-existent,  he  became  so  moody  that  Kate 
thought  her  suspicions  about  him  and  Fenie 
were  verified. 

But  Kate  \vas  not  going  to  lose  a  happy  even- 
Ing  from  the  short  remainder  of  Jermyn's  leave 
of  absence,  as  she  persisted  in  calling  his  as 
signment  to  duty  at  Sandy  Hook.  As  she  was 
going  to  be  magnanimous,  and  had  begun  finely, 
she  resolved  to  complete  the  task,  so  she  ex 
claimed  to  Jermyn  suddenly  one  evening  : 

"  My  dear  boy,  I  want  you  to  stop  thinking 
about  that  letter.  Don't  start— nor  ask  me  any 
questions.  I'll  promise  to  overlook  it,  and  for 
get  all  about  it,  in  the  course  of  time,  if  you 
will  be  your  old  self  once  more." 

"  Cut  I  never  can  forget  it,"  replied  Jermyn, 
"  never !  Think  of  the  cruelty  of  it,  to  you  ?  " 


THREE  DAYS  GRACE.  229 

"  But  if  I  ignore  it,  and  cast  it  from  my  mind 
forever,  why  should  you  persist  in  cherishing  it 
and  being  miserable  about  it?  " 

"  Why  ?     Because  I  am  a  man  and  love  you." 

"  I  shall  love  you  the  more,  because  you  have 
been  so  miserable  about  the  matter.  Won't  that 
satisfy  you  ?  ' ' 

How  grand  a  woman  she  was,  Jermyn  thought! 
Still,  how  could  she  have  learned  about  that  let 
ter,  and  the  drawings  that  made  it  so  valuable  ? 
Had  the  Admiral  told  her,  and  asked  her  to  add 
her  entreaties  to  his  own  ?  Trif  could  not  have 
been  the  informer ;  she  had  every  reason  for 
avoiding  the  subject,  in  conversation  with  Kate. 
Kate  had  said  he  must  not  ask  her  how  she 
learned  about  the  tormenting  paper ;  but  sud 
denly  he  found  out,  or  thought  he  did,  for  Kate 
said : 

"  Will  it  make  your  mind  any  easier  to  know 
that  I  have  fully  forgiven  her?" 

"  Then  you  really  know  all  ?  "  said  he,  looking 
into  her  eyes.  He  did  it  very  coolly,  in  the  cir 
cumstances,  Kate  thought,  but  she  was  not  go 
ing  to  recede  a  bit  from  the  greatness  of  mag 
nanimity  upon  which  she  had  resolved,  so  she 
said : 

"  Yes,  all ;  but  why  should  I  harbor  any  ill 
feeling  ?  Besides,  she  is  quite  weak  and  silly. 
She  will  know  more  when  she  grows  older." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  you  speak  of  her  in  that 
way,"  said  Jermyn,  gravely.  "  I  had  hoped  that 
you  and  she  would  become  very  warm  friends; 
indeed,  I  supposed  you  were  so  already." 

Kate  darted   a  suspicious    look    at  Jermyn. 


2jo  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

Was  there  duplicity  in  a  man  apparently  so 
honest  ?  If  so,  her  faith  in  human  nature  would 
be  forever  lost. 

"  Why  do  you  wish  us  to  be  warm  friends  ?  " 
she  asked,  coldly.  "  So  that  you  may  frequently 
have  her  near  you  ? " 

Jermyn  looked  amazed  and  indignant  as  he 
exclaimed : 

"  Kate,  I  swear  to  you  that  the  tender  regard 
I  once  had  for  her  is  gone  forever  Do  believe 
me." 

"  Then  it  was  not  you  who  wrote  the  letter 
about  which  you  and  she  have  been  so  troubled 
about  in  the  last  few  days?  " 

"  I  ?  Why,  you  said  you  knew  all  about  it ! 
Don't  you  know  that  she  wrote  it  ?  " 

"  The  forward  minx  !  " 

"  I  thought  you  said  you  had  forgiven  her?  " 

"  I  wish  I  hadn't !  The  idea  of  a  girl  as  care 
ful  as  Fenie  Wardlow  professes  to  be — 

"  My  dear  girl,  you've  been  dreadfully  misin 
formed  in  some  way.  Fenie  didn't  write  the 
letter;  'twas  her  sister." 

"Jermyn!"  exclaimed  Kate,  utterly  aghast. 
What  was  the  world  coming  to  ?  She  had  heard 
of  married  women  who  pretended  to  adore  their 
husbands,  and  who  intrigued  with  other  men, 
but  she  supposed  they  were  far  from  the  society 
in  which  she  moved.  So  it  was  Trif  and  her — 
carelessness,  call  it,  over  which  Fenie  had  been 
so  uncomfortable  when  Kate  called,  a  few  hours 
back !  Oh,  the  wickedness  of  the  world  !  Whom 
now  was  there  to  trust  ? 

"  So,"  said  Kate,  slowly  and  coldly,  "  it  was  a 


THREE  DAYS  GRACE.  231 

married  woman,  one  whom  I  have  respected 
and  loved,  who  wrote  you  the  letter  which " 

"Stop,  Kate— at  once.  There  is  a  dreadful 
mistake  somewhere.  Let  us  be  entirely  frank 
with  each  other,  for  the  good  of  all  concerned. 
The  only  letter  about  which  I  have  had  any  dis 
comfort  is  one  which  Mrs.  Highwood  wrote  to 
her  own  husband." 

"  Her  own  husband  ! "  echoed  Kate,  with  a 
blank  stare. 

"  Yes.  Let  us  begin  at  the  beginning,  and 
get  your  mind  out  of  this  dreadful  tangle.  Do 
tell  me  from  whom,  and  how,  you  got  your 
information  about  that  unspeakably  troublesome 
letter  ?  " 

"From  Trixy,"  answered  Kate,  feebly;  at 
which  Jermyn  laughed  heartily  before  he  re 
plied  : 

"  I  might  have  imagined  it.  The  little  marplot ! 
Now  listen :  the  letter  is  one  which  Mrs.  High- 
wood  wrote  her  husband,  from  Old  Point,  on 
two  subjects,  one  of  which  was  very  delightful, 
for  it  was  you ;  I  was  the  other.  By  an  acci 
dent,  which  I  will  explain  later,  the  letter  fell 
into  the  Admiral's  hands,  and  he,  not  distin 
guishing  it  from  several  others  which  he  took 
from  his  pocket  an  hour  or  two  afterward,  made 
a  sketch  upon  the  back  of  it ;  I,  who  chanced  to 
be  with  him,  made  another.  Both  sketches  are 
now  needed,  at  once,  to  perfect  some  business 
arrangements  in  which  the  Admiral  and  I  are 
greatly  interested  and  by  which  we  might  profit 
greatly,  but  Highwood,  to  whom  his  wife  sent 
the  letter  when  she  regained  it,  has  mislaid  the 


232  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

sheet,  or  the  two  parts  of  it,  and  the  Admiral 
and  I,  as  well  as  the  entire  Highwood  family, 
are  greatly  troubled  about  it." 

"  So  is  Harry  and  Fenie,"  said  Kate,  as  if 
talking  to  herself.  "  What  an  idiot  I  have  been ! 
How  they  will  laugh  at  my  expense  !  But  oh,  I 
am  so  happy,  although  I  don't  deserve  to  be,  for 
I  have  been  jealous,  suspicious,  hateful ' 

"  Do  restrain  yourself,  my  dear  girl." 

"  I've  also  been  meddlesome,'1  Kate  con 
tinued,  "  and  impertinent,  and,  worse  than  all, 
inexpressibly  stupid,  on  account  of  that  dreadful 
letter.  Meanwhile,  I  am  being  heartless,  for 
you  said  the  loss  of  the  letter  was  making 
trouble  for  you  and  the  Admiral.  How  much  is 
the  trouble— to  you  ?" 

"  Oh,  merely  fifty  thousand  dollars  worth." 

"  Jermyn !  I  supposed  that  I  had  promised  to 
marry  an  army  officer  with  nothing  but  his 
salary,  and  I  was  priding  myself  on  marrying 
for  love  alone,  without  any  of  the  sordid  ideas 
which  fill  women's  heads,  as  well  as  men's,  in 
these  selfish  days,  but  you  seem " 

"  Don't  change  your  mind,  I  beg,  for  I  am 
fully  as  poor  as  you  thought  me.  I  expect  to  be 
fifty  thousand  dollars  better  off  if  that  letter 
with  my  sketch  comes  to  light  within  a  few 
hours;  otherwise  my  entire  fortune  is  the 
couple  of  thousand  dollars  I  have  saved." 

Kate  smiled  bravely  and  sweetly  as  she  re 
plied: 

"  Please  don't  omit  me,  while  you're  giving  an 
account  of  your  possessions.  Not  that  I  have 
any  money,  but " 


THREE  DAYS  GRACE.  233 

"Bless  you!"  exclaimed  Jermyn,  with  the 
•demonstration  appropriate  to  the  circumstances. 
There  was  a  short  silence,  which  Kate  broke  by 
saying : 

"  I  wonder  what  was  in  that  letter  about  you 
and  me." 

Jermyn  did  not  answer. 

"  Do  you  know?  "  Kate  asked. 

"  Yes." 

"  Then  tell  me." 

"  I  can't,  my  dear — really  I  can't." 

"  Do  you  think  it  right  that  either  of  us  should 
keep  anything  from  the  other?" 

"  No;  but  a  communication  from  a  husband 
to  his  wife  belongs  only  to  the  two—  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Highwood." 

"  Never  mind.  I  shall  know  it  all  some  day. 
Fenie  promised  that  I  should." 

"  Indeed  ?    When  is  she  to  tell  you  ?  " 

"  After  I  am  married." 

"  And  you  are  very,  very  curious  to  know  ?  " 

"Wildly  so!" 

"  I  can  see  but  one  way  to  assist  you." 

"  What  is  it  ?  " 

"  Can't  you  imagine?" 

"  No.     Do  tell  me— at  once." 

Jermyn  took  her  hands  in  his  and  replied  : 

"  'Tis  only  this ;  get  married  as  soon  as  possi 
ble.  I  shall  soon  be  entitled  to  ask  for  two 
more  weeks  of  absence,  and  then — 

"  I  shall  be  ready,"  said  Kate  softly,  yet  with 
a  look  which  made  Jermyn  wonder  how  much 
happier  a  man  could  be  without  losing  his 
senses. 


234  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"  One  thing  I  must  do  at  once,  though,"  said 
Kate,  suddenly  regaining  her  alertness  and  self- 
control.  "  I  must  apologize  abjectly  to  Fenie 
for  my  shameful  suspicion  that  she  had  been  en 
gaged  in  a  flirtation  with  you.  I  must  do  it 
this  very  evening.  Please  take  me  around  there 
at  once." 

"And  rob  myself  of  one  of  my  few  remaining 
hours  of  bliss  ?  ' 

"  You  must  learn  to  be  blissful  while  doing 
whatever  I  wish  you  to  do." 

Fenie  was  so  surprised  by  the  communication 
which  Kate  made  that  she  did  not  think  to  be 
indignant;  on  the  contrary,  she  laughed,  which 
was  the  worst  punishment  she  could  have  in 
flicted.  Meanwhile,  Trif  was  telling  Jermyn 
that  he  and  Kate  must  take  dinner  with  her  and 
Phil  the  next  night.  The  other  happy  couple 
would  be  present,  so  would  the  Admiral,  and 
the  dinner  would  be  the  finest  she  had  ever  ar 
ranged. 

"  Yes,"  said  Trixy,  "there's  to  be  ice-cream, 
and  the  other  kind  of  ice,  and  mamma  says  I 
can  eat  a  lot  of  both ;  and  there's  to  be  a  s'prise, 
too." 

Trif  nodded  warningly  at  Trixy.  She  could 
not  remember  which  of  her  prospective  dishes 
had  been  alluded  to  in  family  conversation  as  a 
surprise,  yet  she  warned  her  daughter  to  be 
quiet. 

"She  doesn't  mean  the  letter?"  whispered 
Jermyn. 

"Alas,  no!"  sighed  Trif.  "How  I  wish  it 
might  be ! " 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THAT    SURPRISE. 

THE  dinner  was  all  that  Trif  had  promised, 
and  the  guests  were  in  high  spirits,  although 
some  of  them  had  believed  in  advance  that  it 
would  be  almost  like  a  funeral  feast,  for  were 
there  not  two  blocks  of  stock  which  would  not 
go  out  of  the  minds  of  at  least  two  of  the  party? 

Good  manners  prevented  any  show  of  sadness, 
and  good  company  soon  did  the  rest.  There 
was  an  abundance  of  merry  chat,  and  the  host 
and  hostess,  with  Harry  and  Fenie,  encouraged 
the  Admiral  and  Jenny n  to  tell  stories  of  field 
and  flood,  of  which  civilians  seem  never  to  tire, 
so  it  was  not  until  late  in  the  evening  that  the 
party  arose  from  the  table.  Then  the  ladies 
were  begged  for  music,  and  the  officers  were 
coaxed  to  sing,  and  time  flew  so  rapidly  that  it 
was  almost  midnight  when  the  guests  said  they 
must  take  their  leave,  and  Trif  murmured  that 
Trixy  ought  to  have  been  put  to  bed  hours 
before,  but  the  dear  child  had  been  so  quiet 
that  her  mother  had  scarcely  known  she  was 
present. 

'•  I  dislike  to  bring  up  unpleasant  subjects  on 
such  an  occasion,"  said  Phil,  "but  before  we 
separate  I  must  express  my  great  sorrow  and 
(235) 


236  TRIP  AND  TRIXY, 

mortification  at  the  loss  of  those  pictures.  I 
never  before  had  so  serious  an  accident,  and  I 
-wish  it  were  in  my  power  to  make  some  rep 
aration." 

"  There  is  one  way  in  which  you  can  do  it,  my 
dear  sir,"  replied  the  Admiral. 

"  What  ?     Do  name  it  and  it  shall  be  done/' 

"It  is  merely  this.  Kindly  persuade  your 
wife  to  re-write,  from  memory,  and  on  the  same 
kind  of  paper,  if  possible,  the  letter  which, 
through  my  stupidity,  has  caused  all  the  trouble. 
Have  her  write  it  with  the  same  kind  of  ink ; 
then  give  the  letter  to  me  !  " 

"  I'll  do  it  at  once,"  said  Trif. 

"  And  you'll  show  me  the  letter  ?  "  added  Kate. 

"  Not  for  worlds  !  "  answered  Trif,  with  a 
laugh  and  a  blush  that  made  Kate  still  more 
curious. 

"  What  then?  "  asked  Phil. 

"  Then,"  said  the  Admiral,  firmly,  "  I  shall 
duplicate  my  pencil  sketch  upon  the  back  of  it; 
Jermyn  shall  duplicate  his  on  the  back  of  the 
written  page,  and  I  shall  file  both  as  vouchers." 

"  A  most  brilliant  plan  ! "  exclaimed  Phil. 
"  Eh,  Jermyn  ?  " 

"  Brilliant  enough,"  was  the  reply,  "  but  I 
don't  entirely  like  it.  My  friend,  the  Admiral,  is 
the  most  honest  man  alive,  yet  to  me  the  plan 
seems  very  like  forgery." 

"Oh,  not  at  all!"  said  Phil.  "A  man  can't 
forge  his  own  writing  or  drawing.  Besides, 
there's  no  question  of  morals  involved.  The 
company  is  willing  to  give  the  stock,  in  payment 
for  services  rendered,  the  services  made  by  you 


THA  T  SURPRISE.  237 

gentlemen,  showing  how  to  get  water  to  property 
which  would  be  worthless  without  it.  No  other 
man,  should  he  find  the  originals,  can  possibly 
present  them  or  use  them  in  any  way,  for  he 
would  not  know  what  they  signified,  nor  could 
he  find  any  one  but  the  existing  company  who 
could  apply  them  to  the  property  in  question. 
Neither  of  you  have  talked  of  the  matter  else 
where  ? " 

"  I  don't  believe,"  said  the  Admiral,  with  a 
long  sigh,  a  shake  of  the  head,  and  a  reminis 
cent  wink  at  Jermyn,  "that  any  matter  which 
affected  business  has  ever  been  kept  close  by 
two  men — eh,  Jermyn  ?  " 

"  Quite  right,  Admiral.  Still,  as  to  duplicat 
ing  my  sketch — 

"  You  can't  prevent  me,  at  least,"  the  Admiral 
replied,  "  so  I  shall  beg  Mrs.  Highwood  to  rewrite 
the  letter  at  once.  If  Jermyn  chooses  to  throw 
away  fifty  thousand  dollars — oh,  Miss  Trewman, 
you  have  more  influence  over  him  than  any  one 
else;  do  reason  with  him.  Better  still,  com 
mand  him.  Don't  let  him  throw  good  money  to 
the  dogs." 

"  What  dogs  ?  Who's  throwin'  money  to 
'em?"  drawled  Trixy,  who  had  begun  to  fall 
asleep. 

"  Mr.  Jermyn,  my  dear,  is  doing  it,"  said  Phil, 
"  and  all  because  your  own  father  stupidly  lost  a 
couple  of  pictures." 

"Gracious!"  exclaimed  the  child,  yawning 
and  rubbing  her  eyes. 

"  What  shall  I  do,  my  dear  ?  "  asked  Jermyn, 
as  Kate  turned  an  anxious  face  toward  him. 


238  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"The  money,  should  I  get  it,  will  be  practically 
yours ;  that  is,  it  will  enable  me  to  support  my 
wife  far  better  than  my  unaided  salary  will.'' 

The  Admiral,  Fenie  and  Harry  looked  in 
tently  at  Kate.  Trif,  at  a  table  in  the  sitting 
room,  had  been  writing  rapidly  with  her  hus 
band  looking  over  her  shoulder.  When  she 
had  finished  Phil  took  the  pen  and  did  some 
thing  to  the  letter,  at  which  Trif  nodded  approv 
ingly  and  then  slyly  drew  Phil's  face  down  to 
her  and  kissed  it.  Then  she  tore  the  two  leaves 
of  the  sheet  apart,  and  gave  one  to  each  of  the 
despoiled  men,  saying 

"Admiral,  this  is  the  portion  which  you  used. 
Jermyn,  this  is  yours.  Kate,  have  you  brought 
him  to  his  senses  ?  " 

"Shall  I  ?"  asked  Jermyn. 

"  Yes,"  said  Kate,  "  if  you  think  it  right." 

"  But  I  don't.'' 

"Then  you  shan't  "  exclaimed  Kate,  snatch 
ing  the  paper  from  him.  "  No  one  shall  ever 
blame  you,  though,  for  'tisn't  you  who  are  throw 
ing  away  the  money;  it  is  I." 

She  stepped  quickly  toward  the  grate,  ex 
tended  her  hand,  stopped,  turned  her  head  and 
said  : 

"  As  some  reward  for  my  self-sacrifice,  mayn't 
I  read  the  letter  before  I  burn  it  ?  " 

"  You  poor  child  ! ' '  murmured  Trif. 

"  What  ?    Was  it  as  bad  as  that  ? ' ' 

"Look  at  it,  Kate,"  said  Phil,  "and  you  will 
know  what  Trif  means." 

In  a  second  Kate  was  under  the  chandelier  and 
turning  the  sheet,  but  as  she  looked  her  face 


THA  T  SURPRISE.  239 

became  blank,  for  Phil,  supposing  the  paper 
was  to  go  into  the  hands  of  a  lot  of  business 
men,  had  penned  over  every  line  so  skillfully, 
after  the  manner  of  commercial  correspondents 
who  make  erasures  in  letters,  that  not  a  word 
of  the  original  writing  was  decipherable. 

"  You  shall  know  it  all,  you  dear  disappointed 
girl,''  said  Trif.  "  I  shall  tell  you  every  word  of 
it  this  very  evening — this  very  moment.  Come 
with  me  ;  I  know  the  others  will  excuse  us  under 
the  circumstances." 

Together  they  started  to  leave  the  room,  but 
encountered  Trixy,  who  was  just  entering. 

"  I  most  forgot  about  that  s'prise,"  said  the 
child  to  Jermyn,  as  she  stopped  before  him. 
"The  dinner  was  so  good,  and  you  folks  talked 
so  much,  that  I  didn't  get  a  chance  to  say 
nothin',  and  then  I  got  sleepy  while  you  was 
singiiv,  and  I'd  have  forgot  all  about  it  entirely 
if  you  hadn't  begun  to  talk  about  throwin' 
money  to  dogs,  and  papa  explained  how  it  was." 

Then  she  raised  both  hands  high  in  the  air  and 
shouted : 

"  Here's  your  old  pictures." 

"  Come  on,  boys,"  shouted  the  Admiral, 
springing  forward,  and  snatching  both  sketches. 
He  explained  afterward,  very  sheepishly,  that 
he  believed  his  mind  had  been  weakened  by  long 
anxiety  about  those  sketches,  for  he  imagined 
himself  young  again,  and  taking  part  in  a  land 
ing  party  in  Mexico. 

"  Oh,  Trixy,"  exclaimed  Trif,  snatching  her 
child  into  her  arms,  "you  naughty,  precious, 
dreadful,  blessed,  awful,  angelic,  terrible,  lovely 
darling ! " 


240  TRIP  AND  TRIXY. 

"Jermyn!"  exclaimed  Kate,  and  Jermyn 
opened  his  arms,  while  Fenie  gasped  "  Harry !  " 
and  Harry  made  haste  to  support  her.  The 
ladies  being  thus  disposed  of,  the  Admiral  and 
Phil  could  only  shake  hands,  which  they  did 
with  a  vigor  that  made  each  man  wince.  Finally 
Phil  said: 

"  My  dear,  will  you  kindly  stop  kissing  that 
child  long  enough  for  me  to  ask  her  a  question  ? 
Trixy,  where  did  you  get  those  sketches  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  found  out  that  'twas  you  that  took 
one  of  'em  out  of  my  scrap-book,  and  I  thought 
it  was  just  one  of  your  tricks,  so  I'd  play  one 
on  you,  and  the  first  thing  I  knew  I  got  the 
chance,  'cause  a  lot  of  papers  fell  out  of  a  coat 
of  yours  on  a  chair,  and  there  was  one  of  the 
pictures  on  the  outside  of  a  letter,  and  'twas  my 
own  picture,  so  I  took  it,  and  afterwards  I  found 
there  was  one  somethin'  like  it  on  the  inside 
part  of  the  letter,  and  I  was  goin'  to  tell  you, 
some  time,  how  nicely  I  had  tricked  you. 
Then  I  heard  a  lot  of  talk  about  pictures  that 
the  Admiral  and  Mr.  Jermyn  wanted,  and  I 
thought  mebbe  I  had  'em,  and  I  knew  mamma 
was  goin'  to  have  both  of  the  gentlemen  here 
to  dinner  in  a  day  or  two,  and  I  thought  I'd 
keep  the  s'prise  till  then,  when  there'd  be  more 
people  to  laugh  at  it." 

"  Suppose,"  said  Trif  with  frightened  eyes, 
"  that  I  had  set  the  dinner  for  to-morrow  instead 
of  to-day !" 

"  But  you  didn't,  my  dear  madam,"  said  the 
Admiral.  "  All  the  world  loves  a  lover,  and  I 
devoutly  believe  heaven  does  too.  Suppose 


THAT  SURPRISE,  241 

that  you  had  put  Trixy  to  bed  at  the  usual 
hour!" 

"Oh,  don't!" 

"  Let  me  see  the  sketches,  Admiral,"  said 
Kate.  She  looked  at  them  carelessly,  turned 
them  over,  and  said  : 

"  Trif,  the  writing  on  this  page  has  been 
erased.  May  I  read  it  ?" 

"  Yes,  dear,  if  you  will  take  it  into  the  next 
room." 

Kate  was  absent  several  moments — a  long 
time,  Jermyn  said,  to  read  what  his  own  eyes 
had  seen  at  a  glance,  but  when  she  returned 
she  embraced  Trif  effusively  and  Jermyn  told 
himself  that  Kate's  eyes  were  most  angelic 
when  they  were  dewy. 

There  was  a  double  wedding  in  June,  and  the 
Admiral,  by  permission  of  both  families,  gave 
away  both  brides.  Trixy  strewed  flowers  in 
front  of  each  couple  as  they  walked  up  the 
aisle  of  the  church,  and  she  looked  and  felt  as 
important  as  if  she  were  both  brides.  Neither 
couple  asked  her  to  be  their  guest  on  their 
wedding  journey,  which  she  thought  rather 
strange,  in  view  of  their  extreme  affection  for 
her,  and  her  mother  had  much  difficulty  in 
explaining.  Both  brides,  however,  had  her  visit 
them  soon  afterward,  and  for  so  long  a  time 
that  Trif  began  to  complain  that  she  had  no 
daughter. 


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Ward  Beecher.  Seven  Addresses  on  common  vices  and 
their  results. 

14  THE  PATHWAY  OF  SAFETY, by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Ash- 

ton  Oxenden,  D.D.  Sound  words  of  advice  and  encour 
agement  on  the  text  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?" 

15  THE  CHRISTIAN   LIFE,  by  the  Rt.    Rev.   Ashton 

Oxenden,  D.  D.  A  beautiful  delineation  of  an  ideal  life 
from  the  conversion  to  the  final  reward. 

16  THE  THRONE  OF  GRACE.     Before  which  the  bur 

dened  soul  may  cast  itsell"  on  the  bosom  of  infinite  love 
and  enjoy  in  prayer"  a  peace  which  passeth  all  under 
standing." 

17  THE   PATHWAY  OF   PROMISE,  by  the  author  of 

"The  Throne  of  Grace."  Thoughts  consolatory  and 
encouraging  to  the  Christian  pilgrim  as  he  journeys 
onward  to  his  heavenly  home. 

18  THE  IMPREGNABLE  ROCK  OF  HOLY  SCRIP 

TURE,  by  the  Rt.  Hon  William  Ewart  Gladstone, 
M  P.  The  most  masterly  defence  of  the  truths  of  the 
Bible  extant.  The  author  says  :  The  Christian  Faith 
and  the  Holy  Scriptures  arm  us  with  the  means  of  neu 
tralizing  and  repelling  the  assaults  of  evil  in  and  from 
ourselves. 

19  STEPS  INTO  THE  BLESSED  LIFE, by  the  Rev.  F. 

B.  Meyer,  B.  A.  A  powerful  help  towards  sanctifica- 
tion. 

20  THE  MESSAGE  OF  PEACifi,  by  the  Rev.  Richard  W. 

Church,  D.  D.  Eight  excellent  sermons  on  the  advent 
of  the  Babe  of  Bethlehem  and  his  influence  and  effect 
on  the  world. 

21  JOHN  PLOUGHMAN'S  TALK,  by  the  Rev.  Charles 

22  JOHN    PLOUGHMAN'S    PICTURES,  by  the   Rev. 

Charles  H.  Spurgeon. 

23  THE    CHANGED    CROSS;     AND     OTHER    RE 

LIGIOUS  POEMS. 


ALTEMUS'  ETERNAL   LIFE  SERIES. 


Selections    from    the    writings    of   well-known    religious 

authors,  beautifully  printed  and  daintily  bound 

with  original  designs  in  silver  and  ink. 

PRICE,  25  CENTS  PER  VOLUME. 


X  ETERNAL    LIFE,  by  Professor  Henry  Drummond. 

2  LORD,  TEACH  US  TO  PRAY,  by  Rev.  Andrew  Murray.     | 

3  GOD'S  WORD  AND  GOD'S  WORK,  by  Martin  Luther. 

4  FAITH,  by  Thomas  Arnold. 

5  THE    CREATION    STORY,    by   Honorable    William    E. 

Gladstone. 

6  THE   MESSAGE  OF   COMFORT,  by  Rt.  Rev.  Ashton 

7  THE  MESSAGE  OF  PEACE,  by  Rev   R.  \V.  Church. 

8  THE     LORD'S     PRAYER    AND    THE    TEN     COM- 

MANDMENTS,  by  Dean  Stanley. 

9  THE  MEMOIRS  OF  JESUS,  by  Rev.  Robert  F.  Horton. 

10  HYMNS  OF  PRAISE  AND  GLADNESS,  by  Elisabeth 

R.  Scovil. 

11  DIFFICULTIES,  by  Hannah  Whitall  Smith. 

12  GAMBLERS  AND   GAMBLING,  by  Rev.  Henry  Ward 

13  HAVE  FAITH  IN  GOD,  by  Rev.  Andrew  Murray. 

14  TWELVE  CAUSES  OF  DISHONESTY,  by  Rev.  Henry- 

Ward  Beecher. 

15  THE  CHRIST  IN  WHOM  CHRISTIANS  BELIEVE, 

by  Rt.  Rev.  Phillips  Brooks. 

16  IN  MY  NAME,  by  Rev.  Andrew  Murray. 

17  SIX  WARNINGS,  by  Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher. 

18  THE  DUTY  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  BUSINESSMAN, 

by  Rt.  Rev.  Phillips  Brooks. 

19  POPULAR     AMUSEMENTS,    by    Rev.     Henry    Ward 

Beecher. 

20  TRUE  LIBERTY,  by  Rt.  Rev.  Phillips  Brooks. 

21  INDUSTRY    AND    IDLENESS,  by   Rev.   Henry  Ward 

22  THEe<BEAUTY    OF  A   LIFE   OF   SERVICE,  by   Rt. 

Rev.  Phillips  Brooks. 

23  THE  SECOND  COMING  OF  OUR  LORD,  by  Rey.  A. 

T.  Pierson,  D.  D. 

24  THOUGHT  AND  ACTION,  by  Rt.  Rev.  Phillips  Brooks. 

25  THE  HEAVENLY  VISION,  by  Rev.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

26  MORNING  STRENGTH,  by  Elisabeth  R.  Scovil. 

27  FOR  THE  QUIET  HOUR,  by  Edith  V.  Bradt. 

28  EVENING  COMFORT,  by  Elisabeth  R.  Scovil. 

29  WORDS    OF   HELP    FOR   CHRISTIAN   GIRLS,   by 

Rev.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

30  HOW   TO   STUDY  THE  BIBLE,  by   Rev.   Dwight   L. 

Moody. 

31  EXPECTATION  CORNER,  by  E.  S.  Elliot. 

32  JESSICA'S  FIRST  PRAYER,  by  Hesba  Stratton. 


ALTEMUS'  BELLES-LETTRES  SERIES. 


A    collection  of  Essays    and    Addresses   by  eminent 

English  and  American  Authors,  beautifully 

printed  and  daintily  bound,  with 

original  designs  in  silver. 


PRICE,  25  CENTS  PER  VOLUME. 


i     INDEPENDENCE  DAY,  by  Rev.  Edward  E.  Hale. 

3     THE  SCHOLAR  IN  POLITICS,  by  Hon.  Richard  Olney. 

3  THE  YOUNG  MAN  IN  BUSINESS,  by  Edward  W.  Bok. 

4  THE  YOUNG  MAN  AND  THE  CHURCH,  by  Edward 

W.  Bok. 

5  THE  SPOILS  SYSTEM,  by  Hon.  Carl  Schurz. 

6  CONVERSATION,  by  Thomas  DeQuincey. 

7  SWEETNESS  AND  LIGHT,  by  Matthew  Arnold. 

8  WORK,  by  John  Ruskin. 

9  NATURE  AND  ART,  by  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

10  THE    USE    AND    MISUSE    OF   BOOKS,   by   Frederic 

Harrison. 

11  THE  MONROE  DOCTRINE:   ITS  ORIGIN,  MEAN 

ING    AND     APPLICATION,    by    t'rof.    John    Bach 
Me  Master  (University  of  Pennsylvania). 
13     THE  DESTINY  OF  MAN,  by  Sir  John  Lubbock. 

13  LOVE  AND  FRIENDSHIP,  by  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

14  RIP  VAN  WINKLE,  by  Washington  Irving. 

15  ART,  POETRY  AND  MUSIC,  by  Sir  John  Lubbock. 

16  THE  CHOICE  OF  BOOKS,  by  Sir  John  Lubbock. 

17  MANNERS,  by  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

18  CHARACTER,  by  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

19  THE  LEGEND  OF  SLEEPY  HOLLOW,  by  Wash 

ington  Irving. 

20  THE  BEAUTIES  OF  NATURE,  by  Sir  John  Lubbock. 
ai     SELF  RELIANCE,  by  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

33     THE  DUTY  OF  HAPPINESS,  by  Sir  John  Lubbock. 

33  SPIRITUAL  LAWS,  by  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

34  OLD  CHRISTMAS,  by  Washington  Irving 

35  HEALTH.   WEALTH    AND    THE    BLESSING    OF 

FRIENDS,  by  Sir  John  Lubbock. 

36  INTELLECT,  by  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

37  WHY    AMERICANS   DISLIKE   ENGLAND,  by  Prof. 

Geo    B    Adams  (Yale). 

38  THE  HIGHER  EDUCATION  AS  A  TRAINING  FOR 

BUSINESS,  by   Prof.   Harry  Pratt  Judson  (University 
of  Chicago). 

39  MISS  TOOSEY'S  MISSION. 

30  LADDIE. 

31  J.  COLE,  by  Emma  Gellibrand. 


HENRY  ALTEMUS'  PUBLICATIONS. 


ALTEMUS'    NEW    ILLUSTRATED 
VADEMECUM    SERIES. 


Masterpieces  of  English  and  American  Literature,  Handy 

Volume  Size,  Large  Type  Editions.    Each  Volume 

Contains  Illuminated  Title  Pages,  and  Portrait 

of  Author  and  Numerous  Engravings 


Full  Cloth,  ivory  finish,  ornamental  inlaid  sides  and  back, 

boxed  ...        . 40 

Full  White  Vellum,  full  silver  and  monotint,  boxed  ....      50 


I     CRANFORD.byMrs.  Gaskell. 

3     A  WINDOW  IN  THRUMS,  by  J.  M.  Barrie. 


3  RAB   AND  HIS   FRIENDS,  MARJORIE   FLEM 

ING,  ETC.,  by  John  Brown,  M.  D. 

4  THE  VICAR  OF  WAKEFIELD,  by  Oliver  Goldsmith. 


5  THE IDLETHOUGHTSOF AN  IDLE  FELLOW, 

by  Jerome  K.  Jerome.     "  A  book  for  an  idle  holiday." 

6  TALES  FROM  SHAKSPEARE,  by  Charles  and  Mary 

Lamb,  with  an  introduction  by  the  Rev.  Alfred  Ainger. 
M.  D. 

7  SESAME  AND  LILIES,  by  John  Ruskin. 

Three  Lectures — I.  Of  the  King's  Treasures.     II.  Of 
Queen's  Garden.     III.  Of  the  Mystery  of  Life. 

8  THE  ETHICS  OF  THE  DUST, by  John  Ruskin.    Ten 

lectures  to  little  housewives  on  the  elements  ot  crystali- 
zation. 

9  THE  PLEASURES  OF  LIFE,  by  Sir  John  Lubbock. 

Complete  in  one  volume. 

10  THE  SCARLET  LETTER,  by  Nathaniel  Hawthorne. 

11  THE    HOUSE    OF    THE    SEVEN     GABLES,    by 

Nathaniel  Hawthorne. 

13     MOSSES  FROM  AN   OLD   MANSE,  by  Nathaniel 
Hawthorne. 


HENRY  ALTEMUS'  PUBLICATIONS. 


Altemus'  New  Illustrated  Vademecum  Series 
continued. 


13     TWICE    TOLD    TALES,   by    Nathaniel    Hawthorne. 


14  THE    ESSAYS    OF    FRANCIS    CLORD)    BACON 

WITH  MEMOIRS  AND'NO'l  h.&. 

15  ESSAYS,  First  Series,  by  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

16  ESSAYS,  Second  Series,  by  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

17  REPRESENTATIVE  MSN,  by  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

Mental  portraits  each  representin.il  a  class.  j.  The 
Philosopher.  2.  The  Mystic.  •}.  The  Skeptic.  4.  The 
Poet.  5.  The  Man  of  the  World.  6.  The  W'rker. 

18  THOUGHTS  OF  THE  EMPEROR  MARCUS 

AURELIUS  ANTONINUS,  translated  by  George 
Long. 

19  THE  DISCOURSES  OF  EPICTETUS  WITH  THE 

ENCHIRIDION,  translated  by  George  Long. 


20  OF   THE   IMITATION   OF    CHRIST,    by  Thomas 

A'Kempis.     Four  books  complete  in  one  volume. 

21  ADDRESSES,  by   Professor   Henry   Drummond.     The 

Greatest  Thing  in  the  World ;  Pax  Vobiscum ;  The 
Changed  Life;  How  to  Learn  How;  Dealing  With 
Doubt ;  Preparation  for  Learning ;  What  is  a  Chris 
tian  ;  The  Study  of  the  Bible  ;  A  Talk  on  Books. 

28  LETTERS,  SENTENCES  AND  MAXIMS,  by  Lord 
Chesterfield  Masterpieces  of  good  taste,  good  writing 
and  good  sense. 

23  REVERIES  OF  A  BACHELOR.  A  book  of  the 
heart.  By  Ik  Marvel. 

34  DREAM  LIFE,  by  Ik  Marvel.    A  companion  to  "  Reve 

ries  of  a  Bachelor." 

35  SARTOR  RESARTUS,  by  Thomas  Carlyle. 

36  HEROES  AND  HERO  WORSHIP,  by  Thamas  Car- 

lyle. 

37  UNCLE  TOM'S   CABIN,  by  Harriet   Beecher  Stowe. 

38  ESSAYS  OF  ELIA,  by  Charles  Lamb. 


HENRY  ALTEMUS'  PUBLICATIONS. 


Altemus'  New  Illustrated  Vademecum  Series- 
continued. 


*g  MY  POINT  OF  VIEW.  Representative  selections  from 
the  works  of  Professor  Henry  Drummond  by  William 
Shepard. 

30  THE  SKETCH  BOOK,  by  Washington  Irving.     Com 

plete. 

31  KEPT    FOR    THE    MASTER'S    USE,   by   Frances 

Ridley  Havergal. 

32  LUCILE,  by  Owen  Meredith. 

33  LALL A  ROOKH,  by  Thomas  Moore. 

34  THE   LADY  OF  THE   LAKE,  by  Sir  Walter  Scott. 

35  MARMION,  by  Sir  Walter  Scott. 

36  THE   PRINCESS  ;    AND   MAUD,  by  Alfred   (Lord) 

Tennyson. 

37  CHILDE     HAROLD'S     PILGRIMAGE,    by    Lord 

Byron. 

38  IDYLLS  OF  THE  KING,  by  Alfred  (Lord)  Tennyson. 

39  EVANGELINE,  by  Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow. 

40  VOICES  OF  THE  NIGHT  AND  OTHER  POEMS, 

by  Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow. 

41  THE   QUEEN   OF  THE   AIR,  by  John  Ruskin.    A 

study  of  Uie  Greek  myths  of  cloud  and  storm. 

43  THE  BELFRY  OF  BRUGES  AND  OTHER 
POEMS,  by  Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow. 

43  POEMS,  Volume  I,  by  John  Greenleaf  Whittier. 

44  POEMS,  Volume  II,  by  John  Greenleaf  Whittier. 


HENRY  ALTEMUS'  PUBLICATIONS. 


Altemus'  New  Illustrated  Vademecum  Series — 
continued. 


45  THE   RAVEN;  AND    OTHER    POEMS,  by   Edgar 

Alian  Poe. 

46  THAN ATOPSIS;AND  OTHER  POEMS,  by  William 

Cullen  Bryant. 

47  THE  LAST  LEAF;AND  OTHER  POEMS,  by  Oliver 

Wendell  Holmes. 

48  THE  HEROES   OR   GREEK   FAIRY   TALES,  by 

Charles  Kingsley. 

49  A  WONDER  BOOK,  by  Nathaniel  Hawthorne. 


50  UNDINE,  by  de  La  Motte  Fouque. 

51  ADDRESSES,  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Phillips  Brooks. 

53     BALZAC'S    SHORTER    STORIES,   by   Honore    de 
Balzac. 

53  TWO  YEARS   BEFORE   THE  MAST,  by  Richard 

H.  Dana,  Jr. 

54  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.     An  Autobiography. 

55  THE  LAST   ESSAYS  OF   ELIA,  by  Charles  Lamb. 

56  TOM     BROWN'S     SCHOOL    DAYS,    by    Thomas 

Hughes. 

57  WEIRD  TALES,  by  Edgar  Allan  Poe. 

58  THE  CROWN  OF  WILD  OLIVE,  by  John  Ruskin. 

Three  lectures  on  Work,  Traffic  and  War. 

59  NATURAL  LAW  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  WORLD, 

by  Professor  Henry  Drummond. 

60  ABBE    CONSTANTIN,   by    Ludorlc    Halery. 

61  MANON  LESCAUT,  by  Abbe  Prevost. 


HENRY  ALTEMUS'  PUBLICATIONS. 


Altemus'  New  Illustrated  Vademecum  Series — 
continued. 


6a    THE  ROMANCE  OF  A  POOR  YOUNG  MAN,  by 
Octave  Feuillet. 

63  BLACK  BEAUTY,  by  Anna  Sewell. 

64  CAMILLE,  by  Alexander  Dumas,  Jr. 

65  THE  LIGHT  OF  ASIA,  by  Sir  Edwin  Arnold. 

66  THE    LAYS    OF    ANCIENT    ROME,   by    Thomas 

Babington  Macaulay. 

67  THE  CONFESSIONS  OF  AN  ENGLISH  OPIUM- 

EATER,  by  Thomas  De  Quincey. 

68  TREASURE  ISLAND,  by  Robert  L.  Stevenson. 

69  CARMEN,  by  Prosper  Merimee. 

70  A  SENTIMENTAL  JOURNEY,  by  Laurence  Sterne. 

71  THE    BLITHEDALE    ROMANCE,    by    Nathaniel 

Hawthorne. 

72  BAB  BALLA.DS.AND  SAVOY  SONGS,  by  W.  H. 

Gilbert. 

73  FANCHON,  THE  CRICKET,  by  George  Sand. 

74  POEMS,  by  James  Russell  Lowell. 

75  JOHN  PLOUGHMAN'S  TALK,  by  the  Rev.  Charles 

H.  Spurgeon. 

76  JOHN    PLOUGHMAN'S   PICTURES,  by  the  Rev. 

Charles  H.  Spurgeon. 

77  THE     MANLINESS     OF     CHRIST,    by   Thomas 

Hughes. 

78  ADDRESSES  TO  YOUNG  MEN,  by  the  Rev.  Henry 

Ward  Beecher. 

79  THE      AUTOCRAT      OF     THE      BREAKFAST 

TABLE,   by  Oliver   Wendell   Holmes. 


HENRY  ALTEMUS'  PUBLICATIONS. 


Altemus'  New  Illustrated  Vademecum  Series — 
continued. 


80  MULVANEY  STORIES,  by  Rudyard  Kipling. 

81  BALLADS,  by  Rudyard  Kipling. 

82  MORNING  THOUGHTS,  by  Frances  Ridley  Havergal. 

83  TEN  NIGHTS  IN  A  BAR  ROOM,  by  T.  S.  Arthur. 

84  EVENING  THOUGHTS,  by  Frances  Ridley  Havergal. 

85  IN  MEMORIAM,  by  Alfred  (Lord)  Tennyson 

86  COMING  TO  CHRIST,  by  Frances  Ridley  Havergal. 

87  HOUSE  OF  THE  WOLF,  by  Stanley  Weyman. 


AMERICAN  POLITICS  (non-Partisan),  by  Hon.  Thomas 
V.  Cooper.  A  history  of  all  the  Political  Parties  with  their 
views  and  records  on  all  important  questions.  All  political 
platforms  from  the  beginning  to  date.  Great  Speeches  on 
Great  issues.  Parliamentary  Practice  and  tabulated  history 
of  chronological  events.  A  library  without  this  work  is  de 
ficient.  8vo.,  750  pages.  Cloth,  $3.00.  Full  Sheep  Library 
style,  $4  GO. 

NAMES  FOR  CHILDREN,  by  Elisabeth  Robinson  Scovil, 
author  of  "  The  Care  of  Children,"  "  Preparation  for 
Motherhood."  In  family  life  there  is  no  question  of  greater 
weight  or  importance  than  naming  the  baby.  The  author 
gives  much  good  advice  and  many  suggestions  on  the  sub 
ject.  Cloth,  i2mo.,  $  .40. 

TRIF  AND  TRIXY,byJohn  Habberton,  author  of  "Helen's 
Babies."  The  story  is  replete  with  vivid  and  spirited 
scenes;  and  is  incomparably  the  happiest  and  most  de 
lightful  work  Mr.  Habberton  has  yet  written.  Cloth, 
I2mo.,  $  .50. 


A     000  045  378     7 


